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Clearly, you should always report major vehicle collisions, but when it comes to certain other scenarios, you may be hesitant. However, it is vital to always make a report, and here is a list of reasons you should and potential consequences if you neglect to do so.
Know When to Call the Police
You may think making that call to the police is up to you, but that’s isn’t actually true. There are damages, the amount of which is up to the Canadian province, from which point onward you will need to report the accident to the police. Failure to do so can lead to you getting charged with leaving the scene, which should not be taking lightly. This charge can increase the amount of money you’ll be charged from your car insurer, additional fines and even jail time. So it is absolutely within your best interest to look up the estimated damage limit set in your province so you’ll know whether to call in an accident or not.
Why You Should Always Contact Your Insurance Company
You’re generally required to call in any and all accidents, no matter how little damage has actually been done. Even if you may think you can cover that little damage yourself, you may still find yourself in a dire situation if the other driver reports the accident while you neglected to do so. This is because the other driver’s insurer will automatically reach out to yours and thus be informed of your failure to notify them yourself.
Another reason for your report should be that, even if the repair costs are cheap, you may still find your insurance rates going up if it discovered that you were fully or partially at fault for the accident. A good way to support any claim and get the deserved compensations, is to install a dash cam. Direct footage from the accident will generally lead to paid claims.
Accidents You Need To Report Under Any Circumstances
Regardless of the estimated damages you’ll always need to report accidents that involve:
• any form of injury and death
• a committed crime
• a driver without insurance
• a vehicle owned by the government
• a vehicle carrying hazardous materials
• damaged property regardless of who owns it
• a pedestrian
• a cyclist
This guide will hopefully make you feel more prepared if you’re ever involved in an accident. But whether there are people injured or not, property damaged or not, you should always contact a personal injury lawyer in Sarnia. You can take advantage of the free consultation only, or hire them for your case. The choice is yours.