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I was involved in a nose to tail accident. I hold a restricted license only and my sister (unlicensed) was in the car at the time.

My insurance declined my claim because of breach of conditions. The other car I crashed into did not have insurance.

I'm a 19 year old and can not afford the repairs to the other car, let alone the one I was driving.

Am I legally bound to pay for the repairs to the other car?

Ana

From the "Ask Jack" archives - 2 September 2009

The owner of the car you hit may well take legal action to force you to pay the cost of repairs.

They should give you the opportunity to pay for the repairs first however and also give you the chance to challenge the costs or to get a second opinion if you felt it necessary.

You must take responsibility for your actions and because you have breached your license conditions you have created a major problem for yourself.

If you can't settle with the owner of the other car you may well end up in court.

It's a good time to have understanding parents or family members, not because they may bail you out financially, but they can help ensure you don't have to pay any more than you need to.

My best advice is not to ignore the other party and try to work through some sort of solution.