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What to Do if You’re the Victim of a Hit-and-Run

Leaving the scene of a collision involving your car is illegal, yet “hit-and-runs” are common. 

It happened to me. I was stopped at a red light when a car collided into the rear bumper of the car I was driving. The impact was disorienting, and it took me a few minutes to move my car to the side of the road and get my bearings. That’s when I saw the other car driving away.

In a situation like this, it’s easy to panic. Not knowing what to do, I got back in my damaged car and tried to catch up to the other driver. I found him a few intersections away and convinced him to pull over. I then called the police. I realized after that trying to chase him wasn’t the right thing to do. But when something like this occurs, what is the best course of action?

Retired Toronto police officer and traffic safety advocate Sean Shapiro doesn’t advise trying to chase down the other driver like I did. 

“Trying to catch up to them to get their license plate or a description of the car is maybe OK, but if you’re now racing and going at a high speed and conducting yourself in a dangerous way, you risk getting involved in a collision yourself,” he says. “You also risk getting charged for your participation in driving that way.”

While trying to catch the other driver might seem like a good idea in a desperate situation, there are things you can do that don’t involve putting yourself or others in further danger. 

“If you get hit, the best thing to do is stay in your car and call the police if you are able to,” says Shapiro. “Especially on the highway, if you get hit, never get out, it’s too dangerous. Stay in your car and wait for the police to come.”

After moving your car to a safer location like the shoulder if possible, you should also gather all the information you can. Take photos, get a pen and some paper, write down the license plate number of the other car, or make a note on your phone. There might have been witnesses who saw the collision who can help describe the events to the police. That’s what we have insurance for, and the more information you can collect about the collision, the better the insurance companies will be able to handle your claim.

Dashcams can also be a big help here. Most of them start recording when they sense an impact, and the data they provide can be invaluable to insurance companies.

“You can get a cheap one for $30 on Amazon, so there’s no excuse not to have one,” says Shapiro. Since dashcams also record audio, it’s the perfect way to state verbally everything you see and it will get recorded. The best thing is that you can do this without getting out of your car.

“Look at the situation we see playing out with police and the media all the time. Someone commits a crime or is involved in some sort of criminal activity, and then they run from police, and the police chase them, and it can turn into this big thing where guns come out,” says Shapiro. “As an average person, you’re not in a position to do that, to know if it’s an armed criminal. It could result in you either getting hurt or worse. The best idea is always to get home safely.”