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Check for injuries first — call 911 if anyone is hurt or a vehicle can't be moved safely. If it's safe, move vehicles to the shoulder and turn on hazards. Exchange names, licence numbers, plates, and insurance details with every driver, get witness contact info, and photograph everything: vehicles, positions, licence plates, the road, signs, and any skid marks. Don't discuss who caused it.

Only in specific situations. Since January 1, 2025, police must be involved when total damage across all vehicles and property exceeds $5,000, or — regardless of damage — when anyone is injured, a pedestrian or cyclist is involved, public property is damaged, a driver is uninsured or uncooperative, or a criminal act like impaired driving is suspected. Below $5,000 with none of those factors, you don't need police or a reporting centre.

A police-run facility where you self-report a crash instead of waiting for officers at the scene. When your accident meets the reporting threshold and police don't attend, you generally must bring your vehicle to a CRC within 24 hours. They photograph damage, take your statement, and notify insurers electronically. Bring your licence, ownership, and insurance card.

No — and not because of etiquette. Fault in Ontario is assigned by adjusters using the Fault Determination Rules, not by what's said at the scene, but statements like "I'm so sorry, I didn't see you" end up in the other driver's version of events. Stick to facts, check on people, exchange information.

If it's drivable and nobody is seriously hurt, yes — Ontario police encourage clearing live lanes for safety. Photograph the vehicles' positions first if you can do it safely. If the car can't move, hazards on and stay out of traffic.

Within 7 days, or as soon as reasonably possible — it's a condition of every Ontario auto policy. This applies even if you were not at fault and even if you don't plan to claim. Reporting is not claiming: you can report an accident and still choose to pay for the damage yourself.

Late reporting gives your insurer grounds to question or deny the claim, and an accident that surfaces later (the other driver claims against you, for example) with no report on file can put your coverage itself at risk. If you're already late, report now — late is recoverable, hidden usually isn't.

They're two different rules. $5,000 is the Highway Traffic Act threshold for when police/CRC reporting is mandatory (since January 1, 2025). $2,000 is the insurance rule: a first minor at-fault accident with damage under $2,000 per vehicle, no injuries, and nothing paid by any insurer can't be used to raise your premium. An accident can fall under both, one, or neither.

Not always. If your accident was below the reporting threshold with no injuries, your insurer can process a claim from your report, photos, and the other driver's information. Where police or CRC reporting was required, though, the report becomes important evidence — and skipping a required report creates problems of its own.

Your own policy protects you: every Ontario policy includes uninsured automobile coverage for injuries and, in defined situations, vehicle damage caused by an uninsured or unidentified driver. Report it like any accident and tell your insurer the other driver was uninsured. Driving without insurance is also an offence with heavy fines for them.

You're not obligated to give the other driver's insurer a recorded statement, and it's usually wise to speak with your own insurer first. Your duty to cooperate is to your own company. Be factual, don't speculate about fault or downplay injuries — early throwaway lines get quoted back later.

Yes, in defined situations: misrepresentation on your application, an excluded driver behind the wheel, using the vehicle in ways not covered (like undisclosed delivery driving), impaired driving, or failing policy conditions like prompt reporting. If you're denied, ask for the specific policy condition in writing, then escalate through the insurer's complaint officer and the General Insurance OmbudService if needed.

For a first at-fault accident without forgiveness, typically 20–50% at renewal, heaviest for the first three years, gone from rating at six years. Not-at-fault accidents can't be surcharged. Run your exact situation through the calculator — fault percentage, forgiveness, and prior claims change the answer completely.

Usually nobody — repairs for a not-at-fault accident run through Direct Compensation–Property Damage (DCPD) with your own insurer, and standard DCPD has no deductible. Exceptions: you opted out of DCPD (OPCF 49), you chose a DCPD deductible to save premium, or the at-fault driver is unidentified (hit-and-run), where your collision deductible may apply.

If you're not at fault, loss-of-use coverage under DCPD generally provides a replacement vehicle while yours is repaired. If you're at fault, you only get a rental if you bought the loss-of-use endorsement (OPCF 20) — a cheap add-on most people don't know they have or lack. Check your policy before booking anything.

Yes. Insurers may suggest preferred shops — which can be convenient, with guaranteed work — but the choice of repairer in Ontario is yours. If you have a shop you trust, say so. The insurer's obligation is to pay the reasonable cost of proper repairs either way.

You're owed the vehicle's actual cash value (ACV) — what it was worth the moment before the crash, not what you paid or what's left on your loan. The first offer is based on comparable listings; you can negotiate it with evidence: better comparables, recent maintenance records, low mileage. If you owe more than the car's worth, only gap-style coverage bridges the difference.

Comprehensive claims aren't at-fault accidents and don't trigger a surcharge on their own. A pattern of them within a few years can affect discounts, deductibles, or renewal terms at some insurers, but a single glass or deer claim is routine.

Sometimes — for small, injury-free, single-party damage it can genuinely be cheaper, especially under the $2,000 minor-accident rule. But you must still report the accident. The claim-or-pay tool runs your actual numbers against roughly three years of surcharge plus your deductible.

Statutory Accident Benefits (SABS) come from your own insurer regardless of fault — that's Ontario's no-fault system. Medical, rehabilitation, and attendant care are automatic on every policy. Since July 1, 2026, other benefits — income replacement, caregiver, non-earner — are optional add-ons you must have selected. Check your policy to see what you actually carry.

Common soft-tissue injuries like whiplash are initially treated under the Minor Injury Guideline, which caps medical and rehab benefits at $3,500. If your medical records show something more serious, you can access far more — which is exactly why seeing a doctor promptly and documenting every symptom from day one matters so much.

See a doctor as soon as possible — gaps between the crash and treatment invite the argument your injury came from something else. Procedurally: notify your insurer you may need benefits within about 7 days, and submit the application forms they send within about 30 days of receiving them.

Yes, for losses accident benefits don't cover — but Ontario limits it. Pain-and-suffering claims must clear a legal threshold (permanent, serious impairment) and a significant deductible applies below a set amount, both adjusted over time. The general limitation period is two years from the accident. For anything beyond minor injuries, a consultation with a personal injury lawyer is usually free.

Passengers claim accident benefits too — generally through their own auto policy if they have one, otherwise through the policy of the vehicle they were in, and there's a chain of payors after that. Being a passenger never leaves you without access to benefits.

Your adjuster, using the Fault Determination Rules — a fixed list of crash scenarios rated 0/25/50/75/100%, applied without regard to weather or road conditions. Ask which rule number they applied (they must tell you), submit dashcam footage or witness statements if the scenario is wrong, then escalate to the complaint officer and the General Insurance OmbudService. Check your scenario's standard rating here.

No — accidents themselves carry no demerit points and don't touch your licence. Points come only from convictions (tickets you're found guilty of). The accident affects your insurance record; a ticket from the same crash affects both. Look up any ticket's points and insurance class here.

At-fault accidents: six years from the accident date for insurance rating. Convictions: three years from the conviction date. Every insurer sees both through your Autoplus claims report and driver's abstract, so switching companies never hides a claim.

Yes. Every insurer pulls your Autoplus report when quoting, and failing to disclose a claim is misrepresentation — grounds to void a policy. What varies is how much each company charges for the same claim, which is why shopping after an accident still often saves money.

Ontario insurers can't surcharge a 0% fault accident — but renewals also rise from market-wide approved increases and lost discounts (claims-free discounts sometimes reset even on not-at-fault claims, which is worth challenging). Ask for an itemized breakdown. The renewal checker tells you if your increase is normal.