Honestly, I think you nailed it about the dashcams—parked mode sounds great in theory, but in practice it’s just not that simple. I tried one of those battery packs to avoid hardwiring, but it was a hassle to keep charged and half the time it missed the actual incident anyway. Plus, like you said, you end up with hours of footage of nothing but wind or the neighbor’s cat.
I’m super cautious, so I always make sure to take way more photos than I think I’ll need. Different angles, close-ups, even shots of the street signs nearby just in case. It’s a pain in the moment, but when you’re dealing with insurance later, it’s a lifesaver. And yeah, the police report is a drag, but skipping it can really bite you if the other driver tries to deny fault or if your insurer gets picky.
Honestly, I’d rather spend an extra 20 minutes documenting everything than risk getting stuck with the bill. It’s not paranoia if it saves you money, right?
I get where you’re coming from, but sometimes I wonder if all that extra documentation is really worth it, especially for minor scrapes. Here’s my take:
- Insurance companies can be a pain, but they usually just want the basics: clear photos of the damage, maybe a wide shot for context.
- I’ve skipped the police report a couple times for small stuff and never had an issue—just depends on your insurer, I guess.
- Dashcams are hit or miss, but honestly, I’d rather spend money on higher liability coverage than more gadgets or battery packs.
Not saying don’t be thorough, but sometimes less is more, especially if you’re trying to keep things simple and save a few bucks.
I get what you’re saying about keeping it simple, but I’m new to all this and honestly a bit paranoid about missing something that could bite me later. If someone smashes your parked car and there’s no note or anything, does skipping the police report ever come back to haunt you? Like, could the insurance company deny the claim because there’s no official record? I’ve read some policies are stricter than others, but it’s hard to tell what’s actually required versus just “nice to have.”
Also, if you don’t have a dashcam or witnesses, is it just your word against nobody’s? I’m trying to figure out if it’s worth investing in one of those cameras or if it’s just overkill for most people. I’d rather not spend extra unless it really makes a difference. Anyone ever had an insurer push back because of missing documentation, or is that just rare?
If someone smashes your parked car and there’s no note or anything, does skipping the police report ever come back to haunt you?
- Most insurers want a police report for hit-and-runs, especially if you’re claiming under uninsured motorist or comprehensive. Some are chill, but others get picky.
- No dashcam or witnesses? Yeah, it’s basically your word and some photos. Not ideal, but not hopeless either.
- Had a friend get denied once because he didn’t file a report—insurance said “no proof, no payout.” Not super common, but it happens.
- Dashcams are like $50 now and honestly, they’ve saved my bacon twice. Not overkill if you park on busy streets a lot.
- TL;DR: Police report = safer bet. Dashcam = cheap peace of mind. Insurance = sometimes a pain.
Definitely agree that a police report is the safer route, even if it feels like overkill at the time. I just went through my first claim and my insurer wanted every scrap of documentation—photos, report number, you name it. Without the police report, I think they’d have dragged things out or maybe even denied it. If you’re on the fence, I’d say just call it in. Takes a bit of time but covers your bases. Dashcam’s on my shopping list now too... didn’t realize how handy they could be until reading these stories.
