Do NOT exchange details at the scene of an accident...

[Skytwr]

Ok, Police should be suppling an event number when the crash is reported. Why because this is one of the first things the insurance company wants. As for exchanging details also good to do as your insurance company needs them so do the police. Excahnging details IS NOT an admission of fault. DO not admit fault as you can stuff up your own insurance.
I know in our area due to a push from the councils and LTNZ for better accident info all crashes reported to police are documented and a number asigned. All good good for getting roads resealed etc.
Where it gets a bit grey for LTNZ and the Police is the injury scale. For the courts an injury is more than triffling. i.e broken bones cuts needing sutures, for the LTNZ scale an injury is a small cut to just seeing a Doc for a bruise. So even if you have an injury in might not be enough for an injury charge, but once Police know about the crash they should take the details.
Hope this helps

[Macktheknife]

Safest option is to always call the cops for an accident, no matter how small. Your arse is covered by the procedure and the other party is checked out thoroughly.
If you are at fault in an accident then suck it up and get it sorted, if you are injured and don't know it until the adrenaline wears off then it just makes it so much easier when the incident is recorded.
Take it easy out there.

[Krusti]

One other small piece of advise. At the time of any crash / incident jot down as much info as possible as soon as possible. This can be referred to in the future as 'notes made at the time'

You are even able to read it in court to refresh your memory. These notes made carry way more wieght than the other persons memory.

From what I remember this is the case anyway.

[vifferman]

Huh.
I've been "lucky" with the accidents I've had; one was one block from the cop shop, another was at an intersection and there was a couple of Ds going the other way in their stealthmobile, and in the others where another vehicle was involved, the cops turned up to get a statement within a couple of hours, before I'd had a chance to do any insurance type things.
Of course it helps that in every case, the other person was at fault from a legal perspective, and I was injured.

So there you go: if you're going to crash, try and wangle it so that:
- The other person is at fault, and/or
- You have an injury of some sort.

[JimBob]

Doesnt make a lot of sense to me. Someone hits you from behind, I assume that at the very least that would be careless use. Surely that doesnt change just because you exchange details?
What has insurance/lack of insurance got to do with the police and how they do their job?

[wildcat_lgf]

Forgive the stupidity of my question...but why does it matter that you get the cops involved?

Surely, you get the car drivers details, the insurance co. assesses your bike and finds it has rear-end damage - they check against the other insurance companies claim and accept that it happened at a stop sign.

I can't see the down side in getting their details? Cops=time + money.

And what if the other driver doesn't wait around for the cops (late for work, impt meeting, etc excuses)...then you have no details and no police?

[JimBob]

Forgive the stupidity of my question...but why does it matter that you get the cops involved?

Surely, you get the car drivers details, the insurance co. assesses your bike and finds it has rear-end damage - they check against the other insurance companies claim and accept that it happened at a stop sign.

I can't see the down side in getting their details? Cops=time + money.

And what if the other driver doesn't wait around for the cops (late for work, impt meeting, etc excuses)...then you have no details and no police?

If the police were to charge the person who hit you with an offence, it strengthens your case if any arguments crop up later. Especially when money is involved. And if the other guy doesnt want to wait around then the cops are going to hear your version first. If he leaves really quickly at least get his rego and complain of a hit and run. Probably hit you because he was in such a hurry in the first place, right?
As for rear end damage to your bike another scenario is he says you changed lanes right in front of him and slammed on your brakes. He couldnt avoid hitting you. Who are they going to believe? who gets charged? maybe nobody, and you will end up paying your excess and losing any no claims bonus you may have had. You may even be charged and now your premiums are even higher.
So get the police involved unless you are in the wrong.
I am going to visit the cop shop and get this thing about exchanging details confirmed. Seems to me some is getting the brush off because someone else cant be bothered doing their job.

[Squeak the Rat]

I am going to visit the cop shop and get this thing about exchanging details confirmed. Seems to me some is getting the brush off because someone else cant be bothered doing their job.

Please do. Maybe ask them what specific piece of regulation says this.

[Grahameeboy]

If the police were to charge the person who hit you with an offence, it strengthens your case if any arguments crop up later. Especially when money is involved. And if the other guy doesnt want to wait around then the cops are going to hear your version first. If he leaves really quickly at least get his rego and complain of a hit and run. Probably hit you because he was in such a hurry in the first place, right?
As for rear end damage to your bike another scenario is he says you changed lanes right in front of him and slammed on your brakes. He couldnt avoid hitting you. Who are they going to believe? who gets charged? maybe nobody, and you will end up paying your excess and losing any no claims bonus you may have had. You may even be charged and now your premiums are even higher.
So get the police involved unless you are in the wrong.
I am going to visit the cop shop and get this thing about exchanging details confirmed. Seems to me some is getting the brush off because someone else cant be bothered doing their job.

If you are hit in rear the onus is on the following driver to prove the other driver did something wrong. If they cannot then the driver hit in the rear should win their claim.

At worse, the Court would decide 75/25 in front cars favour.....I attended a DT where a car passed our Insured as the road reduced.....then as he pulled in front of our Insured, he had to brake due to cars ahead but the poor old Insured had a reduced braking distance and hit guy in rear.......appaling decision cause the guy admitted to changing lanes but Ref said 'Hit in Rear'.

[KATWYN]

Well I reakon if we have to wait for a police officer to attend the scene
of a minor prang now it might take forever.....their time will probably be tied up attending more pressing issues like arresting parents for smacking their
child misbehaving in a supermarket.

And if we do call the police at the scene of a minor what happens if the other person leaves the scene? and if we don't share our details they sure as
heck won't share theirs....so what happens then as far as insurance or liability??

[skidMark]

what you should ALWYAS do at the scene of an accident is call the cops.. let them deal with the shit.

that is unless your to blame... if not.. no matter how big or small.. PHONE THE ROZZAS!

if your to blame you need to do one thing GT FOOT

Get The Fuck OuT Of There

[SPman]

In WA its quite simple- more than $1000 damage = police report, regardless.

[KATWYN]

How do ya assess that at that time?

$1000 damage could mean a whole car write off

....or it could just be a ding on the door of a new mercedes

[Patrick]

I wish one of our resident coppers would come in here and tell me what's the official line on this, because like I said I was told by the people at both Avondale and Auckland Central that "once you exchange details it is no longer a police matter" and "no, we will not accept a complaint from you."

That is news to me...

You could say, "I waited for the Police to arrive but after a few hours, we couldn't wait any longer and after exchanging details we left, as you do... how does the Police not arriving make it no longer a Police matter???"

In this case though, there is no problems... she admits wrong, and is sorting, no doubt? If Police were to be involved, the offending party is only going to get another bill... $150 ticket for failing to stop short... better to put that $150 toward your repairs?????

[klingon]

Thanks Patrick.

As it has turned out, the other party has totally admitted liability and it looks like it's all going to be sorted out as far as legal stuff goes (still working on the insurance with the help of Jetboy).

But it could have been very different. The driver's "memory" of the event is already different from mine - she's saying there was thick fog. My written notes made within two hours of the accuident say that the weather was fine and clear, visibility was perfect.

My injuries include bruising, cracked ribs and concussion. I guessed at the time that the bruising was going to happen but I didn't know abnout the others until later (I thought it was normal to not remember hitting the ground! )

In future, I will ask for the police to be called to the scene. In fact, I think I will request a policeman named Patrick who has two bums