moral dilemma -- what would you do?

[raedyn]

Winter has begun here and freezing rain has turn most street into skating rinks. Even though I was being very careful, I coasted into a parked car and it did do some (minor) damage. I asked some nearby kids whose car it is - they didn't know. I didn't have any paper to leave a note on the car, so I went to the gas station a block away to get paper. When I returned, the car was gone.

Now what?
How hard would you try to track down the owner of the car?

 

[MA-Caver]

Integrity is a hard thing to find sometimes now-a-days.
You did what you could... perhaps more than what you could and should be content with that. (gads! ah sound like Dear Arbys). If the damage was minor, then apparently the owner of the car you hit didn't/wouldn't notice... probably got several other knocks and dings so your hit must've blended in.

You did what you could... kudos to you for trying. :asian: Lots of people would've probably took off if they thought they could get away with it.

 

[RandomPhantom700]

Now that I'm older and wiser, I would have done exactly what you did, except at the point of returning to find the car gone, I'd have then put it out of my mind. You did what you could, and furthermore there's nothing more you can do, so you're fine.

The one motivator I have now for deciding to tell the person is that I know how much it sucks to have someone just drive off.

 

[bignick]

what can you do? unless you caught the license plate number i don't really see how you can track the other person down...unless your from my hometown of about 1500 people...and we all know who drives what...

 

[OUMoose]

Aye, you can't say you didn't try. I wouldn't worry about it and go on. :asian:

 

[RandomPhantom700]

In fact, if my car had been fender-bendered by someone when I wasn't there and they tracked me down to tell me about it, to be honest, I'd appreciate their concern and honesty, but I'd be slightly worried about them.

 

[MisterMike]

Since the gas station was a block away, you could have parked your car behind his so he couldn't leave and walked to the station. Shame on you for being so self centered.

Just kidding. A lot of people wouldn't have bothered with the note.

You could still report the accident in case they do the same. They will have to file a report in the town it happened, and if they think it happened in the same town you file in, I'm sure the Po-lice will put 2 and 2 together.