Car Insurance Car insurance cover-up: What to do when an at-fault driver won’t reveal his auto insurance information Written by: Emmet Pierce | Reviewed by: Ashlee Tilford Ashlee Tilford Ashlee, a former managing editor, insurance, at QuinStreet, is a journalist and business professional. She earned an MBA in 2014 with a concentration in finance. She has more than 15 years of hands-on experience in the finance industry. | Posted on November 18, 2010 Why you should trust Insure.com Quality Verified At Insure.com, we are committed to providing honest and reliable information so that you can make the best financial decisions for you and your family. All of our content is written and reviewed by industry professionals and insurance experts. We maintain strict editorial independence from insurance companies to maintain editorial integrity, so our recommendations are unbiased and are based on a comprehensive list of criteria. Last updated Nov. 18, 2010 It’s always upsetting to be involved in a traffic accident, but your stress level will rise rapidly if an at-fault driver refuses to reveal his auto insurance information. If this happens to you, don’t panic. Not having immediate access to an at-fault driver’s auto insurance information doesn’t mean that you will be stuck with paying for car repairs or medical care on your own. While it helps to collect as much information as possible at the scene of an accident to submit to car insurance companies, you can file a claim even if the other driver is uncooperative. Car insurance companies have plenty of experience tracking down such motorists. After you contact your insurance company, a claims representative will generally get back to you within 24 hours. If you do not hear from a representative soon, contact your agent or insurance company. Taking stock of damage and injuries Remember, your first priority after an accident should always be to make sure nobody is injured. If someone has been hurt in the accident, call 911 immediately. In some communities, the police will not respond to all accidents. They may decline to respond if there are no injuries. Nevertheless, always notify the police, since that may be a requirement of your auto insurance policy. If the police agree to respond, do not move your vehicle until they arrive, unless it becomes necessary for safety reasons or it is required under the law. Gather information for your car insurance claim You should attempt to get the names, addresses and telephone numbers of all involved parties, along with their insurance information. Document the accident scene with a camera or a camera-equipped cell phone. If for some reason you cannot copy information from the other driver’s license plate, write down a description of the vehicle. If there are witnesses, write down their contact information and share it with the police and your insurance company. “Keep in mind that insurance follows a vehicle, so if you have a license plate number, you can track down the owner, even if the driver isn’t cooperative,” says Allstate Insurance Co. spokesperson Christina Tyler Loznicka. Experience counts for car insurance companies After the accident, the work shifts to the car insurance companies. Patricia Lombard, spokesperson for Insurance Brokers and Agents of the West trade group, says insurers often will work out the details of which motorist is responsible for the damage that occurred. “What the insurance company will do is track down the other person’s insurance company and they will subrogate. They will say, ‘Hey, your customer hit our customer.’ That is a very, very common practice.” In some cases, your car insurance company will be able to recover your deductible for you through subrogation, if you had to make a collision claim for an accident that wasn’t your fault. The specific terms of your policy will dictate whether you are covered for property damage or injuries caused by drivers who leave the scene without sharing insurance information, says Joanna Moore, chief claims officer for the Mercury Insurance Group. “You really need to familiarize yourself with your policy benefits,” she said. To avoid leaving things to chance, it’s wise to consider buying coverage for uninsured and underinsured motorists, says Rick Ward, director of auto claims for MetLife Auto & Home. When someone leaves the scene of an accident without revealing their identity – and they can’t be tracked down — they generally are considered uninsured for the purposes of an insurance claim. Other insurance claim situations The same general guidelines apply for situations where you suffer property damage or personal injuries due to someone who refuses share insurance information, says Lombard. In some cases, home insurance may cover your damages. For example, if you are bitten by a dog and the animal’s owner refuses to share insurance information, write down as much information as you can, describing the animal and the owner. If you know where the dog owner lives, write down the address and report the information to your home insurance company as well as police and animal control authorities. “While it is a civil issue, there may be laws in that venue about an unleashed dog,” says Ward. “Contact your own home insurance company and contact your medical provider if you have a health plan that covers you for injury.” In case you missed it Best Car Insurance Companies of 2023 Car insurance rates by state: The most expensive and cheapest states for car ins... Full coverage auto insurance: What it costs to get covered A complete guide to car insurance for seniors A complete guide to adding a teenager to your car insurance policy What to do after a car accident that’s not your fault Total warfare: What to do when your auto insurer totals your car Car insurance claims: Who gets the claims check? Buying and insuring a used car: Most and least expensive models to insure in 202... The Best Car Insurance for Bad Credit of 2021 The best car insurance companies for speeding tickets Car insurance after a DUI Guide to Car Insurance Discounts Proper insurance coverage for college-bound children How to read (and actually understand!) your auto insurance policy Car Insurance Companies New driver insurance grace period: What you need to know How much do insurance agents make Autonomous cars: 5 delightful and 5 distressing things Busted! Part 1: How insurance companies spot bogus claims Insurance options for rideshare drivers 10 things that are illegal but shouldn’t be 1/1 Get instant quotes now ! Please enter valid zip Get quote