Crashed without insurance… any advice?

Here’s the situation: I’m a delivery driver, using my own car (a 2019 Impala) for work. I’m still in high school, working part-time, and I pay for the car myself, but insurance is just too expensive, so I’m not actually covered.

So, I was getting onto the freeway and ended up scraping a lady’s car when I switched lanes too fast. Her car has a broken taillight and some damage, while mine is scratched along the side. We exchanged insurance info, but she didn’t call the police, so it was handled quickly. The thing is, neither of us actually seems to be on the insurance policies for the cars we were driving.

Now I’m pretty worried. My dad technically owns the car, and I’m wondering if telling insurance he was driving would help—but I know that might be risky. What should I do here? I really need some advice!

Honestly, best to go with the truth here. Trying to make up a story could void any policy and even lead to insurance fraud, which is serious depending on where you live.

If the lady has full coverage, she might just file a claim with her insurance, and then they’ll come to you for damages. They might send the bill to collections or try to settle in-house, depending on her insurance.

The other option would be to handle it without involving insurance, but keep in mind that means covering not only the damage but any costs she might have while her car is getting fixed.

TLDR: She’s better off filing through her insurance, and they’ll come after you for what you owe, or you pay out of pocket. Without insurance, unfortunately, there’s not much protection for you.

@Linden
Both your employer and your parents, since they own the car, could be held liable here. Definitely don’t lie.

I don’t know much about insurance, but maybe you could ask the lady if she’d be willing to say it was your dad driving? Just an idea…

Addison said:
I don’t know much about insurance, but maybe you could ask the lady if she’d be willing to say it was your dad driving? Just an idea…

I don’t know much about insurance, but maybe you could ask the lady if she’d be willing to say it was your dad driving? Just an idea…

Terrible idea. What you’re suggesting is fraud, which can come with serious consequences, including jail time. It could also get the claim denied and flagged for fraud, making future insurance a nightmare. Please don’t suggest things like this when you admit you don’t know the rules.

OP, please ignore this advice. Do NOT lie about who was driving. You’ll need to pay out of pocket, but that’s better than adding a criminal charge. And, seriously, don’t drive without insurance anymore.

@Phoenix
Fair point… I just didn’t think of it that way. Sorry for the bad advice.