Community Corner

Drivers: Do You Leave a Note If You Ding a Parked Car?

A survey from Pemco Insurance finds two-thirds of drivers in Washington state always leave their contact info if they hit an unoccupied vehicle.

Thud.

The joy I felt at finding a parking spot near my Seattle apartment immediately turned to dread. I had accidentally backed into—and knocked over—a parked motorcycle while trying to turn around and maneuver into a parking spot on the opposite side of the street.

The worst part? It was pouring rain. I knew the water wouldn't be good for the overturned bike, and I tried to lift it back up, but to no avail. With no one else around in the middle of a workday, I resigned myself to tying a note (in a plastic bag) to one of the handlebars.

Have you left a note after hitting an unoccupied vehicle? Or has your car ever been dinged by an anonymous driver? Tell us in the comments section.

I'm not sure exactly what made me leave a note. Sure, the thought of just walking away entered my mind, but something else—maybe the quest for good karma, maybe the realization that the owner was probably a neighbor—stopped me.

According to a new poll from Pemco insurance, leaving a note is common protocol for Washingtonians. Two-thirds of respondents from Washington said they have "always left a note" when hitting an unoccupied vehicle. In comparison, just 53 percent of Oregonians said they own up to such mistakes.

Leaving a note turned out to be well worth it for me. The motorcycle owner did contact me because his bike initially wouldn't start and he had to have it towed to a mechanic. When I offered to pay for some minor damage, however, he said not to worry about it and thanked me for being honest about what happened.

I'll be the first to admit I don't always leave a note. If I bump a car ever-so-slightly while parallel parking (and there's no obvious damage), I just chalk it up to part of parking on the street in a big city.

Judging by the growing number of unexplained dings and scratches on my own car, my neighbors apparently feel the same way.


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