Cite?
If you want anecdotal evidence: A number of years ago, my car was parked on the street outside my parents’ house. A car pulling out of the driveway across the street slid on the ice and dented my car. They called their insurance company (State Farm), which handled the whole process of my car getting repaired, and no police were ever involved.
Yes I did. After hitting a deer I called the insurance company and told them about it. I also asked if I need a police report and they said no. Got the car fixed with no problems.
From the Farmer’s Insurance FAQ:
*Should I file a police report for a loss or theft?
We recommend filing a police report immediately any time you experience an auto accident, property theft, or vandalism to your property.*
Notice it says a police report is recommended not required.
I know a guy who hit a deer and called the cops. Who then determined that he had been drinking that night and slapped him with a DUI. Not sure WTF he was thinking.
In my time driving, my car has been hit four times, all of them were paid without issue, and only one of them had a police report, which made sense as it was a multi-car accident. Hell, one of them nearly totalled my car when the guy hit it while it was parked while going probably 30 MPH, and they didn’t require a police report.
My advice would generally be to not just leave a note, but to make sure you take pictures. As others said, the last thing you want is that person trying to claim you did something that you didn’t. If you’re the least bit unsure, call you’re insurance company and ask for advice. Chances are if the scratches are minor enough, the person won’t call because it’s just not worth the hassle.
The last time my car was hit was in a similar circumstance to this one, the guy was in the process of leaving a note as I got back to my car, and the damage was very minor. I almost didn’t call, but ultimately I did end up calling his insurance company just to follow up and they just told me to get an estimate and they’d send me a check, so I did. However, I expected that I would have had to deal with bringing it in, driving a rental for a few days, signing a bunch of paper and all, just to basically get the scratches buffed out, and if that were the case I would have let it slide. That’s why I almost didn’t call. I’m still kind of surprised they just sent me a check, but I guess it actually makes little difference to them since it costs them the same amount and reduces the hassle, and they don’t care if I actually get the scratches buffed out or not.
Either way, for the OP, I wouldn’t worry too much about it. Your wife acted in good faith and left her info.
^ So very this. A friend of mine rear-ended another, larger vehicle a few years ago - her car got all the damage and maybe a scratch on the other vehicle. It was a minor, low-speed fender-bender. They traded contact and insurance information, but no police report. She thought no more of it and just got her car fixed on her own dime. A few months later, her insurance called her to tell her the other party wants to sue her/her insurance for “damages”. They were claiming there was another person in the larger vehicle she hit that was injured in the incident. Without a police report, it was just “he-said, she-said”, and went on for a few months of un-needed stress before the other party just dropped it.
It may seem like a minor incident, but without an official, neutral document of the situation, people may try to take advantage.
I was rear-ended at night by someone who flipped a u-turn and took off - it all happened very quickly and I had no police report. But I did get a check from my insurance company to cover the cost of my damaged bumper skin, no questions asked. I had Progressive at the time.
My ex-mother in law hit a parked car in a medical building parking lot; I was with her. She fretted that if she left a note it might get taken, or blown away, so we tracked down the car’s driver inside the building and it got worked out without insurance companies being involved.
I was 12 and on a bike. My chain derailleur wasn’t working right and I was looking down and trying to fix it. I looked up and was 18 inches from a parked car and at full speed. I hit hard enough to bend the frame and I face-planted & rolled over the trunk of the car.
I went door to door, dripping blood, while looking for the owner. My father was livid and wanted to scream at me… but as he put it, how can you yell at a kid for being honest?
And that is the crux of it - once the other party has your contact and insurance information, you may as well get the police report as well (for your own protection). If you don’t share that information, then each party gets to decide on how to solve things on their own.
I believe the need for a police report is a jurisdictional thing. Here in Sacramento, we’ve been involved in a few ‘fender benders’ over the years, with fault on both sides, and never have we needed a police report, either for our insurance to pay a claim, or for us to receive payment from someone else’s insurance. As long as there are no injuries, and neither party contests the events, then a police report is unnecessary in our jurisdiction.
The police in DC are pretty straightforward about telling you that they won’t respond to a traffic incident unless someone is hurt, that traffic is blocked, or they are totally bored.
My husband and another driver backed into each other in a parking lot a few years ago. Because it was in a private lot, the police weren’t involved (in our city they won’t come out for minor accidents unless they’re on public streets, and sometimes even then they tell you to go to a substation to fill out a report), and neither insurance company required a report. The insurance companies agreed that both drivers were equally at fault, they both paid half their deductibles, and we got the car fixed.
I once tried to settle a minor accident without involving insurance companies. It ended badly, with the other driver trying to shake me down for more money after I’d already paid the agreed-upon amount. I’ll never do that again (I was young and stupid then; now I’m old and…well, less stupid about certain things).
Well, the white zone is for loading and unloading of passengers only, there is no stopping in the red zone…
It is a jurisdictional thing. I was a tourist in Malta when I was involved in a low speed accident. The police refused to come. No police report was possible.
Now I work at a 9-1-1 center and we have a detailed list of circumstances of when the police are not required to attend an accident.
…
And everyone knows that
The red zone has always been for loading and unloading, and there is never stopping in a white zone.
Why pretend, we both know perfectly well what this is about. You want me to have an abortion.
In my experience, they’ll take and pay a claim regardless of whether or not there is a police report. A police report helps your case, but isn’t always necessary.
Of course, there is always the chance that a person will contest the events, so a police report is golden. Needless to say, I certainly prefer to have one.
Living in neighboring MD, I’ve seen at least the first two a number of times.