A new law that takes effect on Monday, May 3, 2010, has caused some confusion for Philadelphia drivers. Under the new regulation, Philadelphia drivers will no longer be required to contact police immediately after a minor car accident. Beginning Monday, Philadelphia drivers may exchange personal and vehicle information and leave the accident scene, waiting until they return home to alert police and their insurance company. It's the definition of "minor" accident that has many Philadelphia drivers confused.
Minor accidents are those that involve no personal injuries and no physical damage to surrounding property, including any residential, commercial and government-owned property. In a minor accident, all damage is confined to the motor vehicles involved in the crash and damage to those vehicles is slight enough that they can continue to be driven safely. If anyone affected by the accident suffers even a slight personal injury, the police must be contacted immediately. If the accident causes any property damage -- landscape plants, fences, other autos, signage, etc. -- or any vehicle suffers major damage or cannot be safely driven, the police must be called.
The new law also specifies that all drivers involved in the accident must exchange owner and vehicle information. Experienced Philadelphia personal injury lawyers recommend exchanging the following information:
- Make, model, year, color, license plate state and number and vehicle identification number (VIN) of the car.
- Name, address, phone number and driver's license number of the driver. Always write down the information from the license, but also ask if the information on the license is current and write down any different information the driver gives you verbally.
- Auto insurance company name and policy number.
You may also want to snap a few pictures of the accident site and any damage to the other vehicle as a precaution. Once you return home, Philadelphia drivers are required to call the police to report the accident and should then call their insurance company.
