As we were leaving the local grocery store, my wife’s new (to us) car was rear-ended. We got the other driver’s insurance information (expired) and her personal information. We were so happy our kids were OK and we didn’t think to call the police (the damage seems to be superficial.)
I’m not looking for legal advice, but should we call the cops now that we’ve had time to realise what happened? I know that most states don’t require an accident report if the damage is under $500, but the expired insurance (and tags, too) now have me worried .
Your thoughts?
[Assuming that the laws in your state are similar to the laws in California]
File an accident report with the DMV. This will require the other driver to either pony up with valid insurance information, or lose their driver’s license. If they lose their license, they are required to aquire insurance before they get their driver’s license back.
Also get an estimate for the damage. Five hundred is very easy to exceed these days, a scratched bumper can do it.
Surprising, but true. I had a similar accident a few months back, and was happy to discover that my car only had a scratched rear bumper. The other driver’s insurance company estimated the repair to be $374. I think you should file a report with the DMV.
If given the chance, I would say to file the report with the DMV or police.
Better to uphold the system and force the person to provide or to aquire insurance/tags rather than let them think they could get by without it (imagine if it was a much more serious accident, someone’s gonna take the hit if this person doesn’t have insurance).