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.

Something that is quite common when more serious accidents take place is for the driver to flee from the scene before anyone discovers him there. When the car is found, it is then traced back to the owner who must identify who was driving at the time of the accident, otherwise is faced with two potential charges, failing to name the driver, and the causing of the accident itself.

Many people dont even know the address of their drivers, and the only contact is a mobile phone number, which can just be disposed off in a trash can! So there is a learning here ” if you are employing a driver, make sure that you know all his details and if necessary, get them verified from a third party agency, so that you are not at fault when something untoward happens.

The police department says that there are thousands of cases each year when the owner of the car wants to protect his friend who has actually caused the accident, and claim that they dont know who has taken the car out. But most of these cases are proven with the help of someone else at the crime scene and the offending driver is fined for the accident and the owner is convicted for failing to name the driver ” and the latter carries a higher degree of punishment!

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