Failure to Stop After an Accident

Specialist Motoring Offences Solicitor with over 35 years’ expertise in this area. Let me help you.

The law in Scotland requires you to stop after a road traffic accident resulting in personal injury or damage to property. If someone related to the incident (such as the other driver) requests your details, and there are reasonable grounds for this request, you must also provide your name, address and vehicle registration number.

If you do not stop, you must instead report the accident to the police as soon as possible, or at the very least within 24 hours.

If you are being investigated for failing to stop after an accident, or you have already been charged,please call us now on Freephone 0800 678 5167 or make a Free No Obligation Initial Enquiry today and let us explain your options.

We can represent you throughout the entire process, working hard to get the best possible outcome.

“I was facing 2 charges, namely dangerous driving and speeding at speeds of up to 120mph. Naturally, I was pretty worried. I was put in touch with Paul Donnachie of Donnachie Law. He agreed to represent me.

Long story short, Paul met with someone in the Procurator Fiscal’s office and went over the charges with him. He managed to negotiate the dropping of the dangerous driving charge. And the Fiscal agreed also to limit the speeding charge to “speeds of up to 100mph”.

I tendered a guilty plea to the amended speeding charge and received a fine and 5 penalty points. I was amazed and delighted at the outcome especially since losing my licence would probably have meant losing my job as well. I doubt many other lawyers could have achieved a result like that.”

JM, Kirkcaldy

Penalties for failing to stop after an accident

Failing to stop after an accident or failing to report an accident to the police can potentially result in five to 10 penalty points, disqualification from driving, a fine of up to £5,000 and/or, in the most serious of cases, six months in prison.

Failure to stop after an accident and the law

If you fail to stop after an accident or report it to the police, you may later be tracked down. Another driver may have obtained your registration number, or the police may access CCTV to identify the vehicle involved. If the vehicle is registered in your name, this may lead to you receiving a visit from the police, or a letter stating that you must attend court on a certain date.

How can we help?

Whether you knowingly failed to stop at the scene of an accident or not, receiving a visit from the police or correspondence from the Procurator Fiscal will be extremely unnerving. The consequences can be severe, and there may be a suggestion that you failed to stop because you were committing some other offence, such as driving over the prescribed limit.

If you are being investigated for failing to stop after an accident, or you have been charged, we recommend that you contact us at Donnachie Law without delay.

We understand that there may be any number of reasons why you did not stop after an accident and we can put forward a solid defence on your behalf. It may be that you did not realise you had clipped another vehicle, you were in the midst of an emergency or you were suffering from shock. Alternatively it might be that the owner of the other vehicle/damaged property was not present at the time and their identity could not be ascertained.

Whatever the circumstances, such cases are not always as black and white as you might think, and you may have more options open to you than you realise. We can advise you further, preparing a defence and arguing your case in court.

Having expert legal representation will make a stressful situation much easier to cope with. You will also benefit from our knowledge and experience in this area of the law, greatly increasing the likelihood of a successful outcome. This will certainly be a relief, as there will surely be a lot at stake, including your reputation, your licence and even your livelihood.

Contact us now

If you failed to stop after an accident and are now facing legal action, please contact us now on Freephone 0800 678 5167 or complete our Free No Obligation Initial Enquiry.

If we feel we cannot assist you, we will let you know at the start. If we believe, however, that we can successfully defend your case or present strong mitigating circumstances to the court, we will act on your behalf, working hard to preserve your licence.