How'* this for a case of sods law.....

Yesterday afternoon I got home to find my dad had parked in the centre of the drive, so I had had to park my car on the road. It was the first time I had parked the Bonneville on the road for weeks - it usually goes on the drive - and it was only there for a few hours as I was going out that night.

When I left the house that evening, I found a driverless Vauxhall Vectra in the middle of the road, with its front end embedded in my car! There wasn't a soul in sight.

As first I though maybe the Vectra was stolen and that someone had crashed it and run off. Eventually a woman from a nearby house came out and said that car belonged to a friend of her husband and was parked outside her house - on the opposite side of the road from my house, three doors down. Turns out the owner hadn't applied the handbrake properly!

Typical. First time I leave my car parked on the road for weeks, and this happens.

This was the damage:



The wing has a dent in it which can be removed and sprayed, but it also needs a new side marker/indicator lamp. £258 worth of damage. Bugger!

At least I don't have to have to pay for it. The Vectra owner is footing the bill. Still a pain in the butt though.

It is a shame that it happened, but at least the other party is owning up to fault and paying for repairs. Get us some new pics when she is all fixed up.

Damn, what is wrong with people these days? That kinda happened to my wife a month ago. She didn't set the parking brake all the way and it rolled out of the driveway into the middle of the street. Luckily, it didn't hit anything. Boy, I lit into her about parking that Neon again.

They seemed alright, but I can't be certain if they'd have been so honest if I didn't get there first and take a note of their licence plate!

Ah, yes...good thing you went out when you did. Taking note of the plate usually is a good motivating factor for the other party.

Dammit, why are there so many stupid people in the world today? I had to drive my mom'* Subaru for 6 months (had a stick), I always put down my Parking Brake and I've only been driving by myself for about a year and a half.

Here'* a couple of pictures taken last night when it happened, in the dark and the pouring rain!:

That'* a bad deal, Saturn. Sorry to hear of the misfortune. What exactly is a Vauxhall Vectra? It sounds like the name of a delivery truck or something. Hope you get er all fixed up like new.

The Vectra is a mid-size family car from Vauxhall - which is the British subsidiary of General Motors. Vauxhall-branded products are only sold in the UK, but are pretty much identical to Opel cars sold in Europe.





You got the 1995-2002 Vectra platform in the US - they stretched it in the middle and used it as the basis for the Saturn L-series. The Vauxhall Vectra shares engines with the Saturn L-series too.

The current Vectra (2002-on) uses the GM Epsilon platform, which is also used by the Saab 9-3, Chevrolet Malibu, Pontiac G6, and the new Saturn Aura.

Very sorry to hear that. Over here we call that "Murphy'* Law".

Wise decision to note the license and take pictures. It helps bring out the "honesty" in others, lol.

Get those repairs done and paid for as soon as is possible. People tend to forget why they were responsible, over time. Especially if a third party, such as an insurance agency, is not involved to remind them.