What to Do If a Child Scratches Your Car?
2 Answers
The first thing is to make the child understand the seriousness of the matter. You should catch them and have them call their parents. Discuss compensation with the child's parents. Repairing the scratches is an expense, and since it wasn't caused by you, the responsible party should take care of it. If you think the scratches are not serious and don't require compensation, you can still call the child's parents and ask them to educate their child about this issue. If you cannot reach an agreement with the child's parents on compensation, you should choose to call the police.
Last time my car was accidentally scratched by a kid in the neighborhood, I felt both angry and helpless. I remember taking a deep breath to calm myself down and avoid acting impulsively. First, I took photos of the scratch's location and details with my phone as evidence to prevent any disputes later. Then, I directly approached the child's parents and calmly explained the situation. Sometimes, witnesses or surveillance footage can be found in the neighborhood group chat to help confirm the incident. I discussed the solution with the parents: if the scratch was shallow, it could be polished out with wax at a car wash; if it was deeper and reached the paint, I suggested professional touch-up or panel beating at a repair shop, with the cost reasonably shared. Throughout the process, I paid attention to communication methods to avoid making the child and parents uncomfortable, focusing on educating the child to apologize. Now, I park away from play areas and choose spots covered by surveillance to prevent recurrence. If the other party refuses to cooperate, it's best to involve property management for minor disputes rather than escalating to legal action, to maintain neighborly harmony.
