4 ms·

Why would injury crashes go unreported?

sokoloff 5y ago
If I had a single-car crash with minor injuries, why would I report it? It seems like there’s limited upside to me as the (obviously at-fault) driver. Go get medical care and go get my car fixed. (I drive cars cheap enough to replace and so do not insure them against collisions that are my fault.) Drivers driving without a valid license, without insurance, under the influence, wanted by the law, etc would have all kinds of reasons to not report a crash.
- deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]
vanattab 5y ago
I got hit a few weeks ago while walking my dog (dog was fine). I thought I had just bruised my tailbone so I waved the driver on after a short chat and never reported it. In hindsight I wish I had as it seems like my tailbone was fractured and not just bruised but it definitely happens.
LorenPechtel 5y ago
Police responding to the actual crash scene, useful. Police report filed after the fact, only if there's some need for said report. And not all injuries are immediately apparent. 3 1/2 years ago I got a first-person view of what it would be like to be on the receiving end of a PIT maneuver courtesy of a woman who didn't look adequately. (Yes, when you looked left the road was empty--I saw that also and turned into that empty spot the block before you!) At the time the only injury I was aware of was a very minor scrape, not even worthy of a bandaid. Later I discovered a pulled muscle--it only hurt when I did certain things. I also used to know a woman who thought it was nothing more than a fender-bender, went to the doc a couple of days later because her neck was bothering her. Doc sent her straight to the hospital--incomplete cervical fracture, one wrong move and she could have dropped dead.
tempnow987 5y ago
After college I lived with roommates for a while. One went on a joyride of sorts and damaged a bunch of parking meters, crashed and injured themselves. They had a friend drive them home and repaired the vehicle with no reporting. In some cities currently even if you want to have police respond to a traffic accident, you'd need to wait a VERY long time - they will tell you that unless you need EMS to try and get a safe spot and call for a tow. Some folks aren't willing to wait hours for police to show up to do what, take a report?
- rootusrootus 5y ago
  Depending on the state, though, reporting all injury crashes and any property damage over a certain (fairly low) amount is required by law. Not necessarily to the police, but to the DMV. I assume that statistically that would count in the 'reported to police' column.

If I had a single-car crash with minor injuries, why would I report it? It seems like there’s limited upside to me as the (obviously at-fault) driver. Go get medical care and go get my car fixed. (I drive cars cheap enough to replace and so do not insure them against collisions that are my fault.) Drivers driving without a valid license, without insurance, under the influence, wanted by the law, etc would have all kinds of reasons to not report a crash.

deleted 5y ago
[deleted]

vanattab 5y ago

I got hit a few weeks ago while walking my dog (dog was fine). I thought I had just bruised my tailbone so I waved the driver on after a short chat and never reported it. In hindsight I wish I had as it seems like my tailbone was fractured and not just bruised but it definitely happens.

LorenPechtel 5y ago

Police responding to the actual crash scene, useful. Police report filed after the fact, only if there's some need for said report. And not all injuries are immediately apparent. 3 1/2 years ago I got a first-person view of what it would be like to be on the receiving end of a PIT maneuver courtesy of a woman who didn't look adequately. (Yes, when you looked left the road was empty--I saw that also and turned into that empty spot the block before you!) At the time the only injury I was aware of was a very minor scrape, not even worthy of a bandaid. Later I discovered a pulled muscle--it only hurt when I did certain things. I also used to know a woman who thought it was nothing more than a fender-bender, went to the doc a couple of days later because her neck was bothering her. Doc sent her straight to the hospital--incomplete cervical fracture, one wrong move and she could have dropped dead.

tempnow987 5y ago

After college I lived with roommates for a while. One went on a joyride of sorts and damaged a bunch of parking meters, crashed and injured themselves. They had a friend drive them home and repaired the vehicle with no reporting. In some cities currently even if you want to have police respond to a traffic accident, you'd need to wait a VERY long time - they will tell you that unless you need EMS to try and get a safe spot and call for a tow. Some folks aren't willing to wait hours for police to show up to do what, take a report?

rootusrootus 5y ago
Depending on the state, though, reporting all injury crashes and any property damage over a certain (fairly low) amount is required by law. Not necessarily to the police, but to the DMV. I assume that statistically that would count in the 'reported to police' column.