2.3. “Road Traffic Accident”

The following scenario is based on a real-life situation in Germany. It could differ from a similar situation in any other country due to the specifics of national law enforcement regulations. For more details go to the section Country Specific Information of this module and choose the respective country.

Two patrol officers receive information about a road traffic accident which has happened in the town centre. The caller reports that they have crashed into a parked vehicle. Nobody is injured. The police officers respond to the call and meet an elderly person at the scene of the accident.

Good afternoon. I am officer Schmidt from the Dresden Nord police station. Could I have your driver’s licence, the registration and your ID card, please?

Good afternoon, officer. Certainly. Just a moment, please. (The driver hands the documents over to the police officer.)

(Police officer Meyer verifies the particulars and requests the check of the VIN and the licence plate number over the radio. The verification shows that the VIN fits the licence plate number and the elderly person has no criminal record. )

Please tell me what happened.

I came back to my car 20 minutes ago. I put the car into reverse and started to pull out. I misjudged the distance and crashed into the vehicle behind me.

What did you do then?

I switched off the engine and called the emergency number.

Can you tell me when exactly the accident happened?

Yes, it was at about 2pm.

Have you been drinking any alcohol since yesterday evening?

For God’s sake, no!

Would you agree to a voluntary breath test?

What’s that? Does it hurt? Do I have to do it?

You do not need to be worried. You would just take a deep breath and then blow into a device. Give me a second.

This is a mobile device to measure the amount of alcohol in your breath. Please unpack the mouthpiece and put it into the device, here at the top. Now start blowing into it till I say “stop”.

Everything seems to be fine. Thank you for your cooperation.

My partner will now take photos of both vehicles.

How can I find out the name of the car owner, whose vehicle I damaged?

Don’t worry about that! My supervisor has already found the owner. The owner will receive your particulars and the log reference number of this accident. Your insurance should cover the damages.

Could you tell the car owner that I am very sorry? I didn’t do it on purpose.

We will pass that on. As I said, we are dealing with a road traffic accident. Damaging a stationary vehicle is a minor offence which is punished by a warning fine. Do you understand this?

Yes, officer. I understand.

Okay. You will get a letter from the Public Order Authority soon.

I see.

My partner is preparing a card with your personal data and the details of the accident for your insurance company. It will be necessary to process the damages.