Why You Don't DRIVE from DC to NYC; You Take the Train
So against all my best advice, my colleague decides to rent a car to go from DC to NYC. We're on the outskirts, get off for the Lincoln tunnel, come up out of the tunnel, and begin to find our way around. Not five minutes later, we're stopped at a stoplight (what were we thinking stopping at a stoplight?) when all of a sudden WHAM! and we get rear-ended.
Cindy tries to get out of the car, and this woman waves and tells her "Oh don't worry, it's okay," and she proceeds to pull around and blow right by us. Oh, but we got a good look at her license plate. So Cindy calls the cops (we are in a rental car) to report a hit and run, basically.
The cops show up, take a look at the car, don't see any damage (we weren't hit that hard, but still, it's a rental car), and tell her they basically won't fill out a police report. So Cindy asks for a business card and for the cop to write "No damage" on the back, and he wants to know why. "To give it to the rental car agency," she says.
"What!!?? You're gonna tell them? Why are you even gonna tell them?" Cindy says because it's the truth and because it's the right thing to do. If there's really no damage, then it won't be a problem. "Well you're gonna make a problem if you tell them. Just don't tell them, and they'll never know."
She argues back and forth with this guy, who simply doesn't understand why Cindy would even bother telling the rental car agency. "Because my name is all over the papers, and if there is any damage, I need a police report for insurance and liability purposes." The guy is befuddled.
So I jumped in. "Okay, fine, fine, we don't need to argue. We're just gonna take your squad car, but you don't wanna actually tell your chief because what he doesn't know won't hurt him. Just wait and see if he notices, and chances are, he won't. If he does, well then you can just deal with it then." He pulls out the business card, writes "No damage," and walks away.
Okay, I didn't really jump in, but it sure does make the story better. I know it's Manhattan, and people slam into each other all the time, but still! Anybody else think that's questionable behavior for the police?
Cindy tries to get out of the car, and this woman waves and tells her "Oh don't worry, it's okay," and she proceeds to pull around and blow right by us. Oh, but we got a good look at her license plate. So Cindy calls the cops (we are in a rental car) to report a hit and run, basically.
The cops show up, take a look at the car, don't see any damage (we weren't hit that hard, but still, it's a rental car), and tell her they basically won't fill out a police report. So Cindy asks for a business card and for the cop to write "No damage" on the back, and he wants to know why. "To give it to the rental car agency," she says.
"What!!?? You're gonna tell them? Why are you even gonna tell them?" Cindy says because it's the truth and because it's the right thing to do. If there's really no damage, then it won't be a problem. "Well you're gonna make a problem if you tell them. Just don't tell them, and they'll never know."
She argues back and forth with this guy, who simply doesn't understand why Cindy would even bother telling the rental car agency. "Because my name is all over the papers, and if there is any damage, I need a police report for insurance and liability purposes." The guy is befuddled.
So I jumped in. "Okay, fine, fine, we don't need to argue. We're just gonna take your squad car, but you don't wanna actually tell your chief because what he doesn't know won't hurt him. Just wait and see if he notices, and chances are, he won't. If he does, well then you can just deal with it then." He pulls out the business card, writes "No damage," and walks away.
Okay, I didn't really jump in, but it sure does make the story better. I know it's Manhattan, and people slam into each other all the time, but still! Anybody else think that's questionable behavior for the police?