cute_spider_ni_srsly wrote on May 25, 2021 at 3:37 PM (edited on May 25, 2021 at 3:40 PM)

Yes. In a perfect utopian society, you'd get an impartial judge or lawyer, but in this society you gotta get an impartial cop.

The important thing is to get someone impartial to create a trustworthy-as-possible third-party record so that when the dueling bureaucracies of the two insurance companies contend with each other, they stand a chance of resolving the incident. It also helps those bureaucracies feel comfortable knowing that the incident isn't a fraud.

Oh! And also! If it's the other person's fault, you need to make a report with THE OTHER PERSON'S insurance. That was a big confusion I carried well into my thirties!

edit: yeah as flabberghaster said, if the accident is just a bump and a scrape and you're not going to get a professional garage to repair the damage, it's not worth getting the police involved.

twovests OP wrote on May 25, 2021 at 11:26 PM

Yeah, this makes sense. I actually learned just now that states often do require a report, depending on the damages or injuries: https://drivinglaws.aaa.com/tag/accident-reporting/

I guess I'll play it by ear, and depending on the wishes of the other driver (and, honestly, depending on the race and apparent gender of the other driver.) I have a front and back dashcam, which I believe should help with a no-police solution.