teenagers and car trouble

[chicklet]

What would you do if your son (16 yrs. old) had your car out and was parked at a friends house and the friend backed into the side of the car. Our car has already been in two accidents (both from our other 2 children). Would you approach the parent of the friend to pay for it......or just fix it yourself. I don't really know the boy well and haven't met his parents but my son has gotten rides with his friend when they would go snowboarding. We're trying not to freak out at our son but we just got it back after it had $12,000 worth of repairs so we defintely don't want to put in another claim. Would you limit the amount of time that our son can use the car since it was him that had the car out?? Any suggestions.....thank god we only have 3 kids!!

 

[isisdave]

OF COURSE I'd ask the parents of the friend to pay -- after getting the facts from my son, the friend, and any witnesses. Did your son park the car in a reasonable place, or did he park it across the friend's driveway? (I clobbered one of my own cars that way once.)

This is a great learning opportunity for a 16-year-old. Depending on the circumstances -- inattention, distraction, music blaring, too many people present, unauthorized people in car -- you can bring up stuff like "what if a kid on a bike, or walking on the sidewalk, happened by?" If you can't see a car, you surely wouldn't have seen a child.

Don't worry, they really do grow up .... one down, one to go for me.

Say, how old's the friend? Is it OK for one relatively new driver to give rides to minors in Ontario? We don't let them do that here in California until they turn 18 or have had a license for a year.

 

[nursetanya1973]

Not sure how I would handle it with your son, but I would approach the parents to see if they would pay willingly.

Here in Indiana, a new driver can drive anyone. That's how carloads of teenagers get hurt/killed with such frequency.

 

[Cotswolder]

This is not quite such a problem in the UK as teenagers are NOT allowed to drive until they are 17.
That aside I would definitely approach the parents of the driver involved if the fact show that your son was parked in a sensible and safe position

 

[Patri]

I don't see why you should punish your son if his parked car was hit. That could happen to you too. A teen hit our son's car in the high school parking lot. There were witnesses. The poor kid did not want to go through insurance. We got estimates on repair. The first was $1600, which included replacing panels and repainting for little dents. We bent over backwards to repair only what was imperative, and got it down to $400. The car is older anyway. We didn't know the family and the mother got a little huffy even about that price, but they paid.

 

[ArtsieAng]

We had the same situation, however, it was us that backed into the friends car. We offered to pay for the damage, and asked that it not be reported to the insurance company.

In our case, the damage came to $800.00. If the damage is too expensive for your son's friend to pay out of pocket, they may need to report it. Either way, they should be responsible, unless your son parked the car illegally.

 

[geekette]

Not sure how I would handle it with your son, but I would approach the parents to see if they would pay willingly.

Here in Indiana, a new driver can drive anyone. That's how carloads of teenagers get hurt/killed with such frequency.

I'm not so sure about that - either they changed it or talked about changing it. I don't have kids so I don't pay a lot of attention, but whatever the proposal was, it was rather restrictive. Prob'ly got lost in the ram-thru of DST

 

[Gadabout]

OF COURSE I'd ask the parents of the friend to pay -- after getting the facts from my son, the friend, and any witnesses. Did your son park the car in a reasonable place, or did he park it across the friend's driveway? (I clobbered one of my own cars that way once.)

Wouldn't be asking, would be INSISTING that they pay, and your son does need to take the initiative on this because it happened while the car was in his care and control.... Your state/province usually has laws about level of damages that need or need not be reported, and inflation has definitely made it very easy to reach those damage levels.

It's not your son's fault, as others have said, this could happen to anyone. But as practical matter, the more you or someone else takes out the car, the more chances you have of this or any other accident happening. Just something to think about, as in, don't they see enough of each other at school (hint to son)?

I don't have to look at getting a car for a teenager just yet, but a car bought or driving allowed just for goofing off is not going to be an option.....

 

[merc]

I don't see how initially your insurance company could be expected to pay if your parked vehicle is hit by someone else, unless it is a hit and run and you don't know who to go after for the costs. Otherwise it is the responsible party who is on the hook, isn't it? Owners of acceptably parked cars don't normally assume any liability. Your insurer will likely be willing to assist you in procedural matters but will not likely entertain a claim for your damage repair without pursuing the other party, even to the extent of a lawsuit if the amount is high enough.

But these facts need definition before you decide what to do. How much damage to each car? Who owns the "friend's" car and is that person insured? If it is a small amount then the owner of the car may choose to pay out of pocket rather than go to their insurer, but I think if first of all you went to your insurance company they would not entertain your claim since the responsible party is on the hook to pay, either by insurance or personally. If the other insurer or party responsible both refuse, then your own company might have a clause to help you out, but I doubt you can ask your insurer to cover you right away if the other party has insurance or means to pay.

 

[chicklet]

I talked to my son and he said he had parked in properly, even asked his friend if the car was ok where it was (he actually was going to park somewhere else but saw kids playing hockey and was afraid the ball would hit the car) He also said when his friend backed out he backed out more straight whereas my son said he should have turned more....my son is very attentive driver and we don't allow a bunch of kids in the car. He is talking to his friend at school today and my husband will be calling the dad tonight. hope the guy is ok.....you just never know.

 

[ctreelmom]

What would you do if your son (16 yrs. old) had your car out and was parked at a friends house and the friend backed into the side of the car.

What would you do if you were doing the grocery shopping and a car driven by one of your peers backed into the car in the store's parking lot?

 

[sfwilshire]

I'm surprised the parents haven't already contacted you and offered to pay. Maybe the kids didn't tell them about it.

My daughter backed into another car at school. The car was parked legally, but there really was not enough room. They have since redone the lot and removed the spots that were really too close. The father of the driver of the other car agreed to allow my daughter to pay cash for the repair (about $500). It was better than involving the insurance, and we got a written
"receipt" from the dad.

Sheila

 

[nursetanya1973]

"I'm not so sure about that - either they changed it or talked about changing it. I don't have kids so I don't pay a lot of attention, but whatever the proposal was, it was rather restrictive. Prob'ly got lost in the ram-thru of DST"

I know they tried to raise the driving age to 18years old, but it didn't go through. What a nightmare that would have been. Could you imagine graduating from high school and still having to have your parents drive you to work? Or on a date?

 

[chicklet]

My husband talked to the father and everything was fine. My son's friend said he would pay for the damages ($800). We feel bad that this kid has to pay but we know that if it was our son who had done the damage he would have to pay for it.....might take him awhile but I guess it would be a costly lesson. My son asked his friend if he felt that my son had not parked properly and his friend said he would like to say no but in actual fact my son had parked fine. You have to give credit to two 16 year old kids who came clean for the accident and has stepped up to the plate and is paying for it. It still doesn't make us feel any better about our car leaving our driveway!!

 

[Gadabout]

"I'm not so sure about that - either they changed it or talked about changing it. I don't have kids so I don't pay a lot of attention, but whatever the proposal was, it was rather restrictive. Prob'ly got lost in the ram-thru of DST"

I know they tried to raise the driving age to 18years old, but it didn't go through. What a nightmare that would have been. Could you imagine graduating from high school and still having to have your parents drive you to work? Or on a date?

I know lots of people who don't drive (both don't want to types and never learned how to types), and no, they don't have their parents drive them everywhere. They walk, bicycle, take public transportation, cabs, pay for gas if someone else drives. The bigger grocery chains will now deliver to your home, and there's mail order for other stuff too. Depends upon where you live, of course as to whether it's doable. Lots of people in the city don't have cars and don't miss them.

Also, there are lots of families where one spouse drives the other to work and then keeps the car for the day. Most high school jobs (especially when you consider that some states have laws restricting the number of hours high schoolers can work) don't even pay enough to support the child's car, by the time you do the math for gas, insurance, etc.

 

[hibbeln]

You've given me some food for thought. I guess before the kid takes the car the first time, you need to make sure they know what to do in case of an accident. Here in Michigan, even for a minor fender-bender, you are now required to file a police report. That means calling the police. Probably something most teens wouldn't know how to do.

 

[Gadabout]

You've given me some food for thought. I guess before the kid takes the car the first time, you need to make sure they know what to do in case of an accident. Here in Michigan, even for a minor fender-bender, you are now required to file a police report. That means calling the police. Probably something most teens wouldn't know how to do.

Your insurance card may have a little checklist on the back, and or your agent may have a little "kit" with a checklist to keep in the glovebox.

 

[sfwilshire]

I know they tried to raise the driving age to 18years old, but it didn't go through. What a nightmare that would have been. Could you imagine graduating from high school and still having to have your parents drive you to work? Or on a date?

I have to confess that my DS18 still doesn't have a driver's license. We finally let him get a learner's permit to take drivers ed this past Fall.

Part of the reason has been economic. We already had one female teen on the insurance policy (which raised our insurance $1800). I just didn't have the bucks to shell out to add a male child.

Part of the reason has been terror at what he will do when he is turned lose with an automobile. Smart kid. Zero common sense.

He has been driving more often with his Dad in the car lately, and sometimes gets a good report afterwards. He's going away to college next Fall, so the time is nearly here that we'll be forced to allow him to have his license.

Pray for him and his worried parents when you can.

Thanks,

Sheila

 

[Patri]

Part of the reason has been economic. We already had one female teen on the insurance policy (which raised our insurance $1800). I just didn't have the bucks to shell out to add a male child.

I am stunned by that figure. Must be the area you live or the policies you choose. We have had 3 boys on insurance (at once for a short period, usually two at a time) and the increase was not even close to that. Just had our daughter added and it was only an extra $117 for the year. We now have 5 drivers on 3 cars, although one son is in college out of state with no car. We have good coverage and not particularly high deductibles.

 

[Eric in McLean]

My only point is whether the other family had been generous in the past. For example, did your son ship in for gas when they went snow-boarding? Did they pay for your son's food and lodging, etc. If they had been generous then I might not have asked for compensation. But since you already did and they agreed to pay, all is well

 

[camachinist]

Glad to hear the incident was resolved amicably.

Some comments:

I find making teenagers purchase their own vehicles and insure them goes a long way to promoting responsible ownership.

In a less than amicable incident, merely file a collision claim against your own policy and provide an affidavit of what happened. The insurance company will do the rest. I say this because I'm assuming the OP's car is new and/or expensive (not totalling on a 12K repair) and likely they have collision coverage on the vehicle.

See my first comment

Pat

 

[nursetanya1973]

I think the whole driving/not driving thing depends alot on where you live. Around here public transportation is non-existent and almost nothing is close enough to walk frequently, especially when you consider the kind of winters we usually have.

I know people that don't drive, and what a hassle that makes their lives. No way to know whether or not you can find a ride to the doctor or grocery store, etc.

I think I may be prejudiced based on my age as well, I don't remember a time when everyone didn't have their own cars. I also look at all the things I was in during high school, all the things my high school age cousins participate in, and all the things my elementary school age children are in and I cannot imagine having to drive them to everything for 2 added years. I will worry about their safety of course.

What do teenagers do about dating if they are not able to drive until 18 anyway? Of course, I am not letting my daughter date until she's 30, so I guess it doesn't matter. My son either. Oh, that means they will still be living here......never mind.