I’ve seen in popular media that after a crash, the drivers just “exchange insurance information” and go on their merry way (I’m assuming there were no injuries or explosions).
After checking the DMV pages for both states, the instructions are somewhat vague, warning you that leaving the scene is a crime and telling you to call the state police.
Can anyone tell me what the standard procedure is after a car crash in the USA (I’m mostly interested in Texas and California, but it wouldn’t surprise me if it’s pretty much the same in every state) and what is actually done in real life?
As a counter anecdote to my previous post, I was rear ended in a chain reaction on the 5 in the OC and CHiPS showed up to help get us off to the shoulder. But he was just passing by (not called).
My understanding is that, in CA, the only time you have to immediately call the police is if you hit a parked car, or if your car rolls away and hits a parked car.
However, you have to notify the police within 24 hours if someone is injured or killed. You also have to report any injury to the DMV within 10 days, or if the accident involved $750 in damage or more.
Of course, you also have to exchange information with the other driver in any accident.
My experience in Indiana last year was that after someone rear-ended me we both called the police and waited for their arrival. The police asked for IDs, vehicle registrations, and proof of insurance from both parties. Both of us exchanged insurance information. The cops confirmed no one was injured, ascertained my vehicle was safe to drive, then told me I could go. They kept the other driver longer, but given that the driver hitting the rear end of another vehicle is assumed at fault until proven otherwise I expected she was questioned more extensively and possibly issued a ticket or fine.
A couple days later I got a copy of the official police report of the accident, which I sent on to my insurance company. Given that I was at no fault, the other driver’s insurance wound up paying for the minor repairs to my vehicle.
In Michigan, assuming no injuries, you’re not supposed to call the police unless there’s been more than $1000 in damage. ISTM this is pretty difficult to asses though, as repair costs can add up very quickly.
Leaving the scene without at least verifying that everyone involved is uninjured is a problem. But if you’ve at least done that, and swapped insurance/contact info with each other, I don’t think leaving the scene after that is any kind of crime.
Thank you very much for your responses, and that pamphlet was really helpful. I guess my doubt is, as I said, I’ve seen media where people crashes, exchanges insurance information and goes away, and I was wondering if it was a plot convenience (such as finding a parking space right in front of their destination) or if it can really be that simple --nearly cavalier, if you ask me.
It may seem cavalier to you but that’s exactly what we do in the UK, and AFIK in the rest of Europe. Cops are far too busy to attend minor collisions but it is compulsory to call them if anyone is injured or if the car is blocking the road. It is also compulsory to provide your name and address, the name and address of the vehicle’s owner (if different) and the registration number to anyone involved in the accident. It is usual to exchange details if insurance as well.
The general advice here is to use that camera in your phone and take lots of pictures; of the damage, the position of the cars, any road signs, and of the people involved. It is not unknown for damage to be exaggerated after the fact and for people who weren’t even there to claim for some injury like whiplash.
We got nudged by another car last year, and the only damage was a 10-12 inch ding over the back wheel. The collision happened at about 10mph, and felt no more violent than going over a small pothole. It certainly didn’t require police or ambulance.
But the damage to our car cost my insurance company over $2000 to fix.
One point is that there is a dollar figure in the law, and that if you exceed this limit the accident must be reported. However the dollar figure was probably set decades ago, the cost of even very minor body damage repair is high resulting in a legal requirement that very minor accidents must be reported–and the law ends up being ignored very frequently.