Do I Need To Report A Very Small Car Accident To My Auto Insurance Company?
I was backing out of my spot in my apartment complex and hit a women backing out as well. My car had a broken light, her car had a scratched bumper.
No police showed up. We exchanged insurance information. She said she was going to report it to her insurance company.
Do I, legally have to report this?
Wont they find out anyways, by the ladys insurance company.
Do auto insurance companies report these accidents to the DMV?
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February 27th, 2010 at 12:28 am
Try to deal it out of pocket, otherwise insurance rates will go up much more. You can check how quotes will change here – autoinsurance.noneto.com
February 27th, 2010 at 12:52 am
[...] US Car Insurance – Do I Need To Report A Very Small Car Accident … [...]
February 27th, 2010 at 5:51 am
If the damage is under the DMV’s limit, no, you don’t have to report it, and your insurance won’t report it to them either; that’s your responsibility when required. The same thing happened to my wife, we reported it to our insurer just to be sure (but not to the DMV), and both companies split the damages 50-50. It happens all the time.
February 27th, 2010 at 7:42 am
[...] US Car Insurance – Do I Need To Report A Very Small Car Accident … [...]
February 27th, 2010 at 12:11 pm
For car insurance you have to be always comparing prices and features. For me I like a nearby agent that I can ask a quick question so thats why I suggest to look around locally.
February 27th, 2010 at 5:53 pm
There is no legal requirement to report it to DMV. If she is going to report it you should report it to your insurance company and your policy probably has a clause that says you must report any accidents within 48 hours or as soon as possible. If you don’t report it there is a possibility they will refuse to pay for the damage and you will have to pay out of pocket. The problem is that dishonest people have been known to have another accident like driving into a pole and then claim that the damage was done by the guy that backed into them in a parking lot. Your insurance company needs to inspect her car now so they can see the damage you did.
It does seem to me that she is being rather foolish. Since she was backing out as well she might be the one at fault depending on the circumstances. In any event insurance will probably find you equally at fault and nobody will get a dime because the damage is below the deductible and you will both have an accident on your insurance records. If she hasn’t reported the damage yet you might try to explain to her that she probably won’t get any money and will have an accident on her record. The best thing is for you each to sign a release of liability to the other and just end it since there is no requirement to report to the state.