I’m glad I don’t live in a city big enough for this.
http://money.msn.com/auto-insurance/article.aspx?post=1e9c4261-3a4f-4f15-8f6b-20d3d6dddce2
If you live in one of these cities and get in an accident and there are no injuries…then the police will NOT show up. It’ll be up to you to get all the information from the other driver. And you still may have to file a police report.
If you live in an area like this then get a dash-cam…or hope for the best.
If you live in a no fault state or partial no fault or a state with mandatory insurance, there really is no reason to involve the police in a parking lot fender bender. But, if there are any speeds to speak of and even if you “think” no one is injured but the car damage is subtantial, call the police and after a few questions, let them decide and advise you if you are indubt. It’s up to the parties to decide if no one is injured if there is any doubt, don’t make the choice yourself. It doesn’t hurt to call, and yes, cops “triage” and your accident may not get a physical response if they are busy. Compared to traffic monitoring, a fender bender in a parking lot may be enough. But, it’s till worth a call and there may be a thin line between leaving the scene and just not calling…and by all means, file a report if you are asked to.
If you live in a no fault stay or partial no fault or a state with mandatory insurance, there really is no reason to involve the police in a parking lot fender bender.
Not from my experience.
I was hit by a guy who ran a stop-sign. Minor damage (both slammed on brakes). Didn’t call police since it was minor…and the other driver admitted he was at fault. Took down information. Next day I called my insurance company…within 10 minutes my agent told me that the other guy had filed a claim saying that I ran the stop-sign. I should have called the cops. If I had…he would have clearly seen the other guys skid-marks and easily concluded those marks could NOT have been made if he had come to a complete stop.
Sorry - I don’t like that law. It becomes he-said/he-said. In many cases a cop can determine (based on the evidence) if one is actually at fault.
Also from the article…many people can be easily intimidated by very aggressive person.
Nope - not buying it.
Mike. I am talking about the states in question. IT’s a parking lot and not a public way that I referred to. It’s up to those in an accident to report it regardless in my state too. But, that may not guarantee a cop will show up here either and you should not expect one in a parking lot. If you run into one of these aggressive people, lock yourself up in the car and use your cell. That then is a different matter. Then the police will need to be there to midi gate the situation. Every state is different. But, a fender bender in our state in a parking lot does not always get a cop to report if all your questions are answered and those involved cooperate. YOU WERE ON A PUBLIC WAY where ROW and violations were at stake. and it was not a parking lot fender bender where . there is a big difference.
Hmmm…I guess that this gives me one more reason for not going to Las Vegas.
However, I do occasionally drive through Philly, so I will have to be especially careful when driving there.
In the PSA, Clarke advises Milwaukee County residents to think about protecting themselves because, Clarke claims, budget cutbacks have significantly cut into his department’s response times.
YOU WERE ON A PUBLIC WAY where ROW and violations were at stake. and it was not a parking lot fender bender where
According to the article…it doesn’t matter. Those cities are NOT going to show up unless there’s an injury. Could be a serious accident that even effects traffic.
From the article…
With the new law, motorists now have to take down details about the wreck, as well as the other driver – something they’re not experienced in doing. If the wreck occurred on a roadway, there’s a chance they might step into traffic and get injured as they’re gathering information.
And if the other person breaks the law…there’s a good chance they won’t even get a ticket…
And if police don’t show up at the scene of a collision, drivers who have violated a traffic law won’t get ticketed, says Jesse Roybal, a spokesman for the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department.
“That’s really where the trouble lies,” Geeser says.
If someone regularly runs red lights and causes several fender benders, he’ll never be caught. “That guy isn’t paying any more for his insurance than you or me,” Geeser says. “He should be.”
A friend was robbed at gunpoint in Baltimore City in his driveway. The pistol was pointed at his head and very close. He called the police and they said if no one was injured, they would not respond. Too much on their plate to handle little stuff like armed robbery.
“To serve and protect”
I decided that I would never go to his neighborhood. It took him at least another year to find a buyer. Then he and his wife moved 30 miles from their old home.
Policing is deteriorating into “how many dead and whats missing.”
Just my 2 cents, but the police should be involved in any accident; even a minor fender-bender.
Without an official record of who said what at the time, car positions, tire marks, etc it’s all open to legal wrangling later on.
I would imagine the trial lawyers are behind laws like this. They like the waters being muddied up as it provides more billable hours while arguing who done it.
Somewhat similar to MikeinNH, I had an accident claim go at least partially sour once all because the cop who wrote the accident report up did not write down what the other party said at the time of the accident and most importantly; did not notate on the accident report the skid marks left by my car.
I’d never expect the police to show up at a fender bender. I don’t think many people here would bother calling. They don’t want to be stuck waiting for someone to show up when it could be a very long wait (maybe forever). Most people collect the insurance info and go home. If their insurance says they need a police report number they then call the police. Who may chew them out for not calling immediately, but likely won’t bother. They know why people don’t call them immediately. Out in the suburbs I’d be more likely to call.
New York is a “no fault state”. This has nothing to do with who is at fault for the accident. It just means that the first $25000.00 of the medical bills are paid for by your own insurance company no matter who caused the accident.
NY is also a comparative negligence state which means that a percentage of blame may be assigned to each driver in an accident.
In our area it is common for police to not respond to a non injury accident unless you are blocking traffic.
I would imagine the trial lawyers are behind laws like this. They like the waters being muddied up as it provides more billable hours while arguing who done it.
I think it has more to do with cost. The more they respond…the more police they need to do so.
I have a dash-cam app on my Iphone. I usually only use it when I travel into Boston. Luckily MA and NH don’t such foolish laws.
http://www.navaa.org/budget/13/docs/NCJA-sequestration.pdf
This is what it has all to do with. Investigation, even the simplest of accidents can take hours. Local enforcement agencies have the primary responsibility of investigating accidents. So much time and effort has gone into drug law inforcemnet for example, with the cutbacks in these areas not only from the Feds but in our state where the state has stopped revenue sharing, has left all local budgets strapped.
So, with limited and decreasing resources and demands placed on their time…they are now triaging their responsibilities. Deal with it. The original post is from an insurance agency consortium which perhaps is rightfully complaining because now their responsibilities are increased and it cuts into their revenue. But…they fail to even go into the reasons why. You may have to get your own cat out of a tree too. These funds from the Feds have been held up for years now at the congressional level. (sequestration etc. ) They are all part of infrastructure, aid and economic development packages that never get voted on . We regularly got Fed aid for equipment purchases and training for law inforcemnet from the Feds given to the states for distribution. Locals are now left on their own to a much greater degree with these cut backs.
I live in a “no fault” state. When a young teenager backed into my wife’s vehicle (I was the passenger) at a local restaurant…I called my insurance company immediately. I gave them a description of the car and driver and…most important of all…the license plate number. I also sent them a picture of the damage on my wife’s vehicle. My insurance company (GEICO) fought it out with the other insurance company and won. The other driver was cited for leaving the scene of the accident. He claimed we “backed” into him but our damage was near our gas cap door and his was on his upper rear fender and taillight. I don’t like the idea of “no fault” but it’s here to stay.
Actually I’ve never seen the sense of having the police involveed in an accident unless there is a traffice hazard, injuries, or need towing assistance. All they do is take the information from the parties and pass it around. You still have to file your own accident report and it is up to the insurance companies to battle the rest out. If you carry collision, your car is fixed regardless and just a question of the deductible. To me its a waste of high priced manpower and expensive police units. Others will disagree I suspect and want the police involved in everything.
There is a fine line that has to be walked when a driver breaks the law and causes an accident, when there is “possible” injury and when damage caused is excessive. If there is an aftermath with a suit or liability for personal injury that may show up well after an accident, it isn’t an easy decision. It’s always safe calling to avoid leaving the scene or failure to report. IMHO, even if you are in Vegas, what happens in Vegas may not stay there if some thing happens later. I would err on calling and letting someone on the other end tell me what to do. It will then be on record you did at least notify them.
I suspect that’s what @Bing is getting at and though I agree there are times when they aren’t necessary, I would not want to be the one to make that decision if I were involved. Let it be their decision not to come and not yours not to call. I would never ever let myself be talked out of reporting any accident. I used to drive a military ambulance and helped on many civilian instances involving traffic accidents. There were cases where someone thought they weren’t injured only to be laid up for days from work soon after. Sometimes those involved are the worse ones to make such decisions on not calling for help. Make the call.