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Advice On Reporting A Car Accident In Ontario

While a driver does not always have to report an accident to the police, it helps to recognize the times when such an action does become necessary.

Times when driver in Ontario must report a motor vehicle accident to the police

• When the total amount of damage exceeds $2,000.00.
• If a pedestrian has been hit
• If some property got damaged, and the owner of that same property was not present at the scene of the collision.
• If a government vehicle was involved
• If one driver does not have proof of insurance

There is a specific purpose of rules on reporting accidents to the police/reporting center. Later on, the report can serve as protection against the submission of a false claim. Additionally, the responsible driver might refuse to pay the requested compensation, claiming that the accident never happened. Accident Lawyer in Waterloo knows that this is the time that the initial police report comes in useful.

Obligation of all drivers, including those that do not have to call the police

Plaintiffs or the injury victims need to take advantage of the 24-hour window provided by the government and report the accident at an official reporting center. Arrive with a picture of the damaged vehicle.

In addition, all drivers must report the accident to their insurance company. In Ontario, a motorist that has been involved in a collision has 7 days in which to contact the insurance company.

Penalties linked to reporting/not reporting

There is no penalty for volunteering to report an accident, even if it does not have to be reported. However. Any failure to report could complicate the task of seeking compensation for damages or injuries. It could provide the responsible motorist with an excuse for not agreeing to cover the damages/losses. The fact remains that the drivers that do not report a collision to police could have their license suspended for a given period of time.

A responsible driver might ask that a fender-bender not get reported to the insurance company. Yet that assumes that the hit driver could not have been injured in any way. That may not be the case. Hence, a driver need not follow such an ill-founded suggestion.

No driver’s list of rights includes that of selecting the health of any motorist that might have been hit by the driver’s vehicle. At the same time, no list of such rights includes the right to dictate how a hit motorist should or should not report an accident, unless the circumstances match with those listed earlier, with respect to the need to report certain accidents. However, it is important to know that insurance companies have specific penalties for failing to report a collision.