The first 24 hours
- Anyone hurt? 911. A hit-and-run with injuries is a criminal matter and police attend.
- Write down everything immediately — partial plate, colour, make, direction of travel, time. Memory degrades by the hour.
- Canvass for cameras and witnesses — dashcams, storefronts, doorbells. Footage gets overwritten fast.
- Report to police — through your Collision Reporting Centre in most municipalities, generally within 24 hours. Prompt police reporting is also what protects your insurance position.
- Report to your insurer within 7 days like any accident.
Who pays when there's no other driver to bill
If you reported properly, you're normally 0% at fault — no premium surcharge. The wrinkle is which coverage pays: DCPD requires an identified insured vehicle, so with the driver unknown, vehicle damage typically runs through your collision coverage, with your deductible. Injuries are covered through your own accident benefits regardless. If the driver is identified later, your insurer pursues them and your deductible can be recovered.
No collision coverage? An unidentified hit-and-run can leave your vehicle damage unpaid — one of the few situations where dropping collision on an older car really bites. Worth knowing before it happens, not after.
If you're tempted not to bother reporting
Don't skip it. Unreported damage claimed later looks like a hidden at-fault accident, the 24-hour window strengthens both the police file and your claim, and if the driver is caught, the report is what makes them — not you — pay.