Refusal To Name A Driver When Questioned
According to British motoring law, failing or refusing to name the person driving your vehicle at the time of an accident is a greater offence than actually driving the car during the accident yourself.
Many cases go all the way to court because the owner of a vehicle involved in an accident will not or simply does not name the person who was driving at the time of the accident. Although this can seem like the person is honourably protecting their friend, it is actually a very foolish decision to make. Even the best drivers in the world cant avoid accidents completely as more often than not, they are out of anyones control.
When more serious accidents happen, it is quite a common occurrence for the driver to flee the scene and leave the car. However when the car is found it is traced back to the owner who then has to identify who was driving the car when the accident took place, but if they dont, then they face two charges. One is failing to name the driver and the other is causing the accident.
Many people who hire drivers do not know the address of their driver and usually only have a mobile phone number which are not always reliable. So if you employ drivers, it is well worth getting their full information and conducting a full background check, even if it means getting them from a third party agency so that you are not held responsible when something untoward happens on the roads.
Every year there are thousands of cases where an accident has happened and the owner of the vehicle says he doesnt know who was driving the car at the time. This is almost always resolved by a witness to the crash identifying the driver who then gets fined for the crash, and the owner of the vehicle gets charged with failure to name the driver, the latter of which carries the greater punishment.
For more information about free legal advice please click failure to provide driver identity.
