Honestly, I thought I was being extra by snapping pics of my car every time I park somewhere new, but after hearing all this, maybe I’m just ahead of the curve. My insurance agent gave me a checklist that looked like something out of a spy movie—photos, receipts, VIN numbers, the works. I tried to keep everything in a folder on my phone, but then I realized half my “evidence” was just blurry shots of my shoes or the inside of my backpack.
The whole uninsured motorist thing is wild too. My friend got sideswiped in a parking lot and the other driver just… vanished. No note, nothing. She had to dig up every scrap of info she could find—turns out, that random photo she took for Instagram with her car in the background actually helped her claim. Guess accidental documentation is better than none?
I still don’t know if I’m supposed to keep gas receipts or just bank statements. At this point, my glovebox is basically a junk drawer with a registration card buried somewhere in there.
Honestly, you’re not overdoing it at all—snapping pics is smart, especially with how unpredictable people can be. I’ve been through the “mystery dent” routine myself. For paperwork, I just keep registration and insurance handy, but gas receipts? Unless you’re tracking mileage for work or taxes, I wouldn’t stress about those. The glovebox-as-junk-drawer thing is universal, trust me.
I used to think keeping every single receipt was necessary, but after my first fender bender (where the other driver just took off), I realized the real lifesaver was having my insurance info and a few clear photos. The adjuster barely glanced at anything else. I do keep a notepad in the glovebox now, though—writing down details right away helped me remember stuff later. The glovebox is a disaster zone, but at least it’s functional chaos...
Honestly, half the stuff people keep in their gloveboxes is just clutter. What really matters after a hit-and-run is exactly what you said—insurance info, clear photos, and jotting down details while it’s fresh. Receipts are pretty much useless unless you’re fighting over repairs. Seen too many folks panic over paperwork when all we really need is the basics.
Couldn’t agree more about keeping it simple. I used to keep every receipt and random document in my glovebox, thinking it might help one day... but honestly, it just made things harder to find when I actually needed them. After my last accident, all that mattered was my insurance card and photos of the scene. The rest just slowed me down. Less clutter, less stress—especially when you’re already dealing with a hit-and-run.