Guides

What information to exchange after an accident

What to collect from every driver, owner and witness after a crash, what state law requires you to share, and what to do if a driver won't cooperate.

4AutoInsurance · Published October 4, 2026

Get each driver's name, address, phone number, driver's license number, license plate, vehicle make and model, and insurance company and policy number, plus the owner's name if the owner is not the driver. Photograph their license, registration and Insurance ID card rather than copying by hand. State law requires drivers to share most of this, and an incomplete exchange is one of the most common reasons claims stall.

What the law requires you to exchange

Every state requires drivers involved in a crash to stop and identify themselves; the exact list varies. Two examples:

  • California. Vehicle Code section 16025 requires each driver to exchange their name and current address, driver's license number, vehicle identification number, the registered owner's current address, and evidence of financial responsibility, such as the insurer's name and address and the policy number.
  • New York. The New York DMV driver's manual tells drivers to exchange name, address, driver's license number, vehicle registration and insurance information, including the policy number and effective date.

These are legal minimums. For an insurance claim you want more.

The complete checklist

Collect Why it matters
Driver's full name, address and phone Needed to open a claim against them or to sue
Driver's license number and state Confirms identity; helps if they later dispute being there
Owner's name and address, if different Insurance generally follows the car, so the owner's policy may be the one that pays
Insurance company, policy number and the insurer's claims phone Lets you open a claim the same day
Plate number and state Lets police and insurers trace the vehicle if other details turn out to be false
Make, model, color and the vehicle identification number Matches the car to the policy; the VIN is on the insurance card or dashboard
Passenger names and contacts Passengers are witnesses and may have injury claims
Witness names and phone numbers Independent accounts often settle fault disputes
Officer's name, badge number, agency and report number Needed to get the police report
Tow company name and where each car was taken Avoids storage charges piling up and helps adjusters inspect

Use the after-accident checklist and information form to capture all of it in one place, and take a photo of every document you are shown.

Read the insurance card carefully

An insurance card or electronic proof of insurance on a phone shows the company, policy number, the vehicles insured and the policy dates. Check:

  • The dates. A card for a policy that expired last month does not prove current coverage.
  • The vehicle. If the car in the crash is not listed, the driver may be using a card from another vehicle.
  • The named insured. If the driver is not named, they may be a permitted driver of someone else's car. Get the owner's details as well.

Most states accept electronic proof; see Proof of insurance laws and digital ID cards for the rules. Counterfeit cards exist, so a photo of the card plus the plate number gives your insurer what it needs to verify coverage. fake insurance cards and how they are caught explains how they are caught.

What you do not have to share

Give what the law requires and your insurance details. You do not need to give:

  • Your Social Security number.
  • Your policy limits or coverage amounts.
  • A statement about who caused the crash.

Be polite and factual. Fault is decided later from evidence; offhand remarks at the scene can be quoted back to you.

If the other driver will not cooperate

  1. Do not argue or follow them if they leave. Your safety comes first.
  2. Call the police, especially if the driver refuses to share information, appears impaired, has no insurance or tries to leave.
  3. Photograph the plate and the driver, if you can do so safely, along with the vehicle's damage.
  4. Note the description and direction of travel if they drive off, and get witness contacts. A driver who leaves without exchanging information may be treated as a hit-and-run, which affects how your own policy responds; see hit-and-run accidents: how to file a claim.
  5. Report to your own insurer with whatever you have. A plate number is often enough for an insurer or police to identify the owner and their coverage.

If the other driver admits they have no insurance, what to do after an accident with an uninsured driver covers the next steps.

Special situations

  • Hitting a parked car. You must try to find the owner. If you cannot, leave a note with your name, contact details and how the crash happened in a secure, visible spot, and report it to police as your state requires.
  • Commercial vehicles. Get the company name on the door, the truck or unit number, and any USDOT number. The employer's commercial policy is likely the relevant one.
  • Rideshare and delivery drivers. Ask which app they were driving for and whether they had a passenger or an active trip; the platform's coverage depends on it. See Rideshare insurance for Uber and Lyft drivers.
  • Rental cars. Get the rental company's name and the rental agreement number as well as the driver's own insurance.
  • Government vehicles. Claims against public agencies can have short notice deadlines, so get the agency name and report promptly.

After the scene

Give everything you collected to your insurer when you report the crash, even if you plan to claim against the other driver. If you discover later that information was wrong, tell your insurer and the police; plate and VIN records usually lead back to the owner and their insurer.

Key takeaways

  • Exchange names, addresses, license numbers, plates, vehicle details and insurance information with every driver, and get the owner's details too.
  • Photograph documents rather than copying them, and check the card's dates and listed vehicles.
  • Collect witness and officer details; they matter most when fault is disputed.
  • You do not need to share your Social Security number, your limits or an opinion about fault.
  • If a driver refuses or flees, call police, photograph the plate and report to your own insurer.

Terms used in this guide

Insurance ID card The card your insurer issues showing the company, policy number, insured vehicles and coverage dates, carried as proof of insurance. Vehicle identification number (VIN) The unique 17-character code assigned to every modern car, used by insurers, motor vehicle agencies and history reports to identify the exact vehicle. Proof of insurance Evidence that a vehicle meets the state's insurance requirement, usually a paper or digital ID card shown at stops, crashes and registration. Named insured The person or business listed by name on the declarations page as the policy's owner, with the broadest coverage and most rights under the contract. Electronic proof of insurance An insurance ID card shown on a phone or other device instead of on paper, which most states accept at traffic stops and after crashes.

Related states

California California's minimum rose to 30/60/15 on January 1, 2025 and is set to reach 50/100/25 in 2035. It is an at-fault state with pure comparative negligence. New York New York is a no-fault state requiring 25/50/10 liability (50/100 for death), $50,000 of PIP and 25/50 uninsured motorist coverage.

Related tools

After-accident checklist and information form A step-by-step checklist for the scene of a car accident and a form for the details to exchange, which you can print or keep on your phone.

Latest on this topic