What should I do if my bonnet opens while driving?

Reduce speed smoothly, use any remaining view around the bonnet edges, signal and move to a safe stopping place without abrupt steering or braking. Do not continue until the latch fault is fixed.

In relation to “What should I do if my bonnet opens while driving?”, at a collision or roadside incident, safety comes first; evidence comes second, but good evidence can make a later insurance or liability decision much clearer.

For “What should I do if my bonnet opens while driving?”, do not lean or peer around the bonnet in a way that loses control. Use the remaining view, mirrors and road edge to slow smoothly and get off the carriageway.

For “What should I do if my bonnet opens while driving?”, check more than one VIN location where practical and look for signs of tampering around plates, labels or stamped areas. A mismatch is a stop sign, not something to “sort later”.

For “What should I do if my bonnet opens while driving?”, for Northern Ireland, the key is to use the authority or contract that actually controls this issue. The sources attached to this answer include PSNI - Road Traffic Collision, nidirect - Motor insurance explained, and GOV.UK - Vehicle insurance. Those sources should take priority over forum posts or guidance written for a different jurisdiction, particularly where a deadline, offence, fee, finance right or policy condition is involved.

Practical next step for “What should I do if my bonnet opens while driving?”: make a short incident note while details are fresh — time, exact location, registrations, people involved, witnesses and photographs or original video. If police, insurer, road authority or recovery operator is involved, keep each reference number with that note.