You can report an accident at any police station in the country. However, if you are under a legal obligation to report an accident (see Q894), you should go straight to the nearest station and report the matter there.
The existence of CCTV material should always be considered as a reasonable line of enquiry in a police investigation and investigators will usually view / review any CCTV that they are aware of before making a decision as to whether the footage is relevant to the investigation.
If you are aware of the presence of a CCTV camera at a location where a crime / vehicle collision took place, we would suggest you make the police aware of this when you report an incident / collision.
Please also see the Government website in Related Information regarding requesting CCTV footage of yourself.
Not all collisions require a police officer to complete a collision report.
In some instances a collision report will not be released until the police file has been finalised.
If you are a solicitor or an insurance agent, you can apply on behalf of your client for a copy of any existing collision reports the police have.
People can also apply for collision reports or request details of third parties involved in a collision if they are representing themselves in civil proceedings.
Information on how to make a request and details regarding costs can be found on local police force websites. See the link in Related Information for force contact details.
Unfortunately, a cat does not fall within the remit of the Road Traffic Act and therefore you do not need to report the incident to the police as long as there are no other factors involved, for example:
• Damage to another vehicle
• Injury to another person
• Injury to animals including cattle, mules, sheep, pigs, goat, dogs or horses
• Damage to other property forming parts of land / adjacent to land on road in question
It may be advisable, if possible, to make a few enquiries to find the owner of the cat so that they can be informed of the situation. If you cannot find the owner of the cat, you could take it to the nearest vets as most cats are now microchipped - the vet can scan the cat and contact the owner. Alternatively, you can contact your local council in order for them to clear away the remains.
See the website in Related Information to find your local authority.
It is not illegal to reverse into a main road but it is not advisable - this is for safety reasons. The main road is likely to be very busy and there will be an increased chance of an accident due to the presence of more cars on the road. If an accident occurred due to you reversing onto a main road from a minor road then there may be the possibility of you being prosecuted for driving without due care and attention.
If both parties stopped at the scene and exchanged names and addresses, then there is no legal requirement to report the accident to the police. Road traffic law has been complied with and the police will not take a report.
|
|
QuestionQ430: Which station do I have to report a road traffic accident to? AnswerYou can report an accident at any police station in the country. However, if you are under a legal obligation to report an accident (see Q894), you should go straight to the nearest station and report the matter there. |
