It’s Saturday morning, a.k.a. errand day, and you’ve just pulled into your local grocery store. You park away from the busy section and next to a curb – the car is new, and you’d like to keep it looking that way. Bananas, milk, eggs and a pack of gum – you’ve been gone for no more than 5 minutes and race back to the car only to discover a fresh and dreaded door ding on the driver side...
How did this happen so fast? What do you do? Is the offending vehicle still there? Is there a note? Did they flee? Or even worse… is the ding more than just a ding and actually significant damage?
We sat down with our Director of Consumer and Industry Relations, Anne Marie Thomas (AMT), to discuss this situation and how you can help protect yourself following a ding or a hit-and-run like this.
Q1: If the person who dinged or damaged your vehicle is still there, what should you do?
AMT: It’s a great question. First, if you feel it’s safe to do so and they seem reasonable, ask for their insurance and contact information. Even if the damage looks minimal, take their information because what looks like minor damage could turn out to be much more expensive to repair than you thought.
Q2: What if their vehicle is still there but they deny damaging your vehicle?
AMT: This is a tricky situation. You certainly don’t want to get into an altercation or put your safety in jeopardy. Remain calm and don’t argue with the other driver. Get the driver’s licence plate – you can use that information when reporting the incident to the police and collision reporting centre. Try to take pictures of the vehicle and the damage. If there are witnesses, ask them to provide their contact information and a written explanation of what happened.
Q3: If the person who dinged or damaged your vehicle is not there but left a note with their contact information, what should you do?
AMT: Similar to the first question, give them a call and ask for their insurance information and email address (you already have their number!) Side note: This is a nice person and the right thing to do if you were the offending party.
Q4: Okay, once you have their information, what should you do next?
AMT: Take pictures of the damage to both cars if possible and gather as much information as you can about the situation. Then, as soon as you can, report the resulting damage to your insurance provider. In Ontario, if the damage to both vehicles looks like it might be over $5,000.00 you must report the incident to the police via a collision reporting centre. Here’s a list of collision reporting centres in Ontario: https://accsupport.com/locations/
Because the driver that damaged your car is identified and has insurance, this will likely be considered a not-at-fault loss and the resulting damage to your vehicle will be paid by your insurance company under the section of your policy called Direct Compensation Property Damage (or DCPD as it’s better known). In Ontario, if you have chosen to opt out of DCPD, you may not have insurance to cover the damage.
With a not-at-fault claim and an identified offending driver with insurance, you will likely not have to pay the insurance deductible.
Q5: What if the offending driver has not been identified?
AMT: This would be considered a hit-and-run if the driver of the vehicle who damaged your car is not identified. The damage should be reported to a collision reporting centre and your insurance company within 24 hours.
It’s important to report the damage so you can obtain proper police documentation of the incident. Without this documentation, your insurance provider may consider it an at-fault loss at the time of the claim. An at-fault loss will automatically trigger your deductible and could affect your future insurance rates.
Once the insurance company has the police records, the damage to your vehicle may be covered by the insurance company if you have purchased the optional collision or all-perils coverage. Unfortunately, you will have to pay the applicable deductible if the offending driver a.k.a. ‘the hit-and-run culprit’ was not identified.
Q6: So a hit-and-run is clearly a more complicated and unfortunate situation… any additional tips on what to do if you’ve been a victim of this crime?
AMT: Yes, here are few things you should do:
If there are witnesses, ask for their contact information. These witnesses may be able to help police track down the offending driver.
Look to see if there is any video evidence available from nearby businesses.
Forward any information to the police so that they can investigate.
Take pictures and make notes about the incident. Use IBC’s handy accident reporting form to document everything. (It’s also a good resource to print and keep in your glovebox!)
Q7: What if the damage is very minor (a small ding or scratch), do I still need to inform my insurer?
AMT: If the damage is very minor and the driver is not identified, once you get a repair estimate, you don’t have to report it to your insurer if damage is less than your deductible.
But, if the driver was identified, you should inform your insurer as you likely won’t have to pay the deductible, and the damage could be covered at no additional cost to you (provided it’s a not-at-fault loss).
Q8: What if the damage to your vehicle was not caused by another car, but by a rogue shopping cart?
AMT: Since not all insurance companies approach this type of loss in the same way, if a rogue shopping cart caused damage to your vehicle, check with your insurance company to see if this would be considered a collision or comprehensive claim. If you have purchased the applicable coverage, you can start the claims process.
However, regardless of whether it is a collision or comprehensive claim, you should determine whether or not submitting a claim makes sense. If the damage is likely less than your deductible, it may not make sense to submit a claim.
Q9: How do you know if the damage is more or less than your deductible? How do you know if you should or shouldn’t submit a claim?
AMT: Sometimes it can be tough deciding whether to make a claim when the damage is minor. If you’re unsure of the cost of the damage, get estimates from a few mechanics or body shops. Then, compare the estimate to your deductible. If it’s less or close to the deductible, it may make sense to not submit a claim.
If you’re still unsure, ask your insurance rep. or call our Consumer Information Centre. We can help with these questions and scenarios.
Q10: Last question, should you ever settle outside of insurance for damage to your vehicle?
AMT: If you are considering settling outside of insurance, don’t agree to anything before you obtain an estimate for the damage. As I answered in the first question, sometimes what seems like minimal damage can cost far more than we think.
When in doubt, it’s always best to speak to your insurance rep. They can support you and help provide options.
