If the other driver drives off in an accident, would you do so as well?

I hit him

Yeah..regardless. Always always always get a police report.

When you posted original thread you did not explain what happened. You made it sound as you weren’t at fault because he left so you had no other options but leave too.

In reality you hit him and left the scene. It’s illegal. What if he was hurt?

If you thought he left the scene, you had to pull over and call the police and tell them what happened. At least you could drive to a police station and tell them what happened. When you made insurance claim what did you tell them?

Did you seriously think it was ok to just cause an accident and leave the scene like nothing happened?

Yeah, I mean, Ruby....I know you said you thought he was leaving, but I don’t understand why you thought it was okay to leave as well. You caused the accident..you were at fault. It’s very illegal to leave the scene of an accident that you caused. And if your car had 7K worth of damage then it does not seem like it was just a little fender bender. 7K worth of damage is major.

It’s all fixed now. And my driving habits have changed since the incident. I no longer go over speed limit and am no longer distract while driving, even by my own thoughts. My car is as good as new and I’m on probation. Next year, it’ll all drop from my record if I have no violations.

I figured there’s no one to exchange insurance information with, so I left.

I get that part, but it doesn’t just come down to the insurance information. I mean you were at fault, so either way your insurance company would have had to cover for your car and the other drivers car. For me though-I would automatically know that if I caused the accident -even if the other driver leaves, it would be illegal for me to leave because I was at fault for the accident. But maybe not everyone would know that off the top of their head.

It’s nothing to do with insurance.

When you cause an accident, you need to make a police report and you must not leave the scene. You also need to make sure the other driver is ok (even if he looks ok it doesn’t mean he is ok), if you thought he left, you still need to inform police so they can check up on him, not escape the scene

what did you tell your insurance when you made a claim? Did you not tell them that you cause an accident?

I told them the truth, that I rear ended him bc I was distracted.

I see. How did you end up in court? Did the guy made a report?

Citation. The guy didn’t report anything other than calling the cops. He didn’t drive off like I thought he did. He pulled over and made that call.

Okay, Ruby..so now you know if ever in another accident-regardless of who hit who..don’t leave the scene, Okay? Do you see now not to leave the scene of an accident?

Definitely learned my lesson.

What do you mean he didn’t report. Sure he did. He called the police and made a report like people supposed to. If he didn’t make a report, no one would know you hit him. When you call the police, you make a police report.

We all make mistakes but you still seem to have hard time fully understanding how things work. So it’s always better to ask someone right away.

The guy did exactly as you should have done, moved to a safe place close to the scene and call the cops. He didn't consider the side of the road safe and pulled into a parking lot. So next time I hope you do that.

Right. I never knew that before. I honestly thought he woulda gone to that parking lot even if I didn't hit him. Anything I never 1. read about, 2. personally experienced, and/or 3. been taught, most likely I wouldn't know. It baffles me that people could know any given thing without going through any of the 3 listed above. Were they born with with that knowledge in their head?

k sry. I thought you were talking about reporting to insurance.

How would he report it to insurance if he didn’t know what’s your insurance?

Actually many people wouldn’t know specific procedures, no one is born knowing this. That’s why you ask around. But not when you face consequences a month later being called to appear in court. You ask right away, same day.

I don’t think the issue is you not knowing procedures. That’s common. Many wouldn’t know how to proceed in specific instances. The issue is not taking responsibility and not following up. If you caused harm to other people’s property etc you do something about it, you don’t just escape. I think this yet another example of just not taking responsibility. Did you talk to your case worker about it?

Good luck Ruby!

Yep. She knows. My 2nd court date is end of this month.

What to do in the case of an accident would be in "the rules of the road" booklet that they give you at drivers ed, or you can probably get one at the dmv. Or look online for your city and states laws.

I'm not exactly sure why this is in the relationships forum.

Because you have a relationship and need to communicate with the other driver?