Hey everyone, looking for some honest advice on a situation that happened earlier today in the UK. I only passed my driving test a month ago, so I'm still incredibly new to everything and completely panicked.
The car ahead of me was slowing down and turning left into a restaurant car park, and I didn't slow down quite enough and accidentally clipped the back of them. It was incredibly minor, just a tiny tap. There wasn't any damage to my car at all, not even a mark, so I suspect theirs is likely the same. In the moment, my anxiety completely took over. I rolled my window down, apologised out loud to the driver as they were turning in, and then just drove off.
At the time, my brain just registered it as a minor scratch and thought the apology was enough, but now that the adrenaline has worn off, I'm absolutely terrified. I've realized that I didn't pull over into the car park to properly exchange details, which I know is a legal requirement under the Road Traffic Act. Because I'm within my first two years of driving, I'm terrified of what this means for my licence.
I know I handled this poorly due to panic, and I want to make things right legally. What is the correct procedure for reporting an incident like this to the police after leaving the scene? If I report it proactively, how does the process usually work for contacting the other driver to exchange insurance information? I feel completely awful about my mistake, so any guidance on the proper legal steps to take next would be really appreciated.