There is no law requiring you to notify your insurance company, but it is always better to contact them as soon as possible. They are going to find out about the wreck regardless, so it is better to go ahead and tell them and let them help you recoop for your damages in a timely manner.

Based on my experience I would say NO. My wife was driving and somebody hit her car on the back. There was no discussion, the other guy accepted his fault. Called his insurance company and the car was repaired. In the meantime, my wife felt a little pain on the neck. Not knowing exactly how to proceed we call our insurance company to seek for guidance on what to do case of bodily injury. They said that being the other party's fault they should take care of that. She actually took a pain reliever and next morning the pain was gone for good. Until this point everything seems quite fine. We after changed companies and after a year we wanted to take the same company back, they didn't want us unless we pay a ridiculous amount of money, because they had in THEIR records a previous accident. Not even the DMV had the accident as my wife's fault (because of the correct report), but the company showed her as a previous driver with an accident and this was enough for them to want us out. So, I would say you try to report your accidents only to whom the law requires it. Notifying other parties will only bring confusion and trouble in the future. I'm not an expert, but this is a real case. Hope it helps!

The other answers are good, so I am just adding to what has already been said. Not necessarily. Unless your policy/contract specifically states that you must or there are other laws that require you to do so, just report the accident to the at fault parties insurer ASAP. I say ASAP because if there is a problem (i.e., it turns out they have no insurance) you can get your insurance company involved if you absolutely have to. Astaroth mentioned something of interest. Insurance company underwriters do not rely soley on DMV records in most cases. They also pull what is usually called a CLU Report (Casualty and Loss Underwriting Report). Typically, this report shows claims made period. To your company, to other companies, et cetera. In most states, it is perfectly legal to use this in the underwriting process. So, it is entirely possible for your insurance company to find out about an accident you did not report to them. In a lot of states it is also legal for the underwriters to pull a CLU and/or driving record at regular intervals to review a policy holders current record and risk factor. Typically, they will not do this unless something like a lot of claim activity happens. So, when DARON J says they will find out about it. . .he is correct . It may be years down the road or the next day or show up when and if you change insurance companies, but it will most likely show up somewhere. If you're lucky, you will stay with the same insurance carrier and they may never feel the need to randomly pull your record so nobody is the wiser about an accident reported to another company. It just depends.

The answer lies in the amount of damage your autombile has sustained. and, if the other driver has auto insurance. the officer, at the scene, can make that determination for you. if the damage is minor, in most states, the drivers may make a settlement amongst themselves, without either notifying their respective insurance companies. but, this is a gamble. if the at-fault driver defaults on his promise to repair your auto, out-of-pocket, then notifying your insurance company would be a necessity. again, depending on the amount of damage. I would not use my auto insurance, except in a personal injury or extensive damage accident. a small insurance claim, may be reason enough for a rate increase. Do make a police report. its required in all states.

We were in an accident where car we were in didn't have insurance, we didn't know that! I contacted our State Farm agent to ask what to do, they actually said they would paid our bills at no extra cost to us even though it wasn't their responsibility!! It sure did save our credit from being in the toilet because my settlement didn't come for another year and a half!!

I reported my car to my insurance company, basically because I didn't know what to do. They explained to me that I could try to go through the other vehicle's insurance company...but they were not cooperative at all. (My car was totaled in the accident.) So, I called my insurance company (State Farm) back and they handled everything. I had a check within a week as a downpayment on my next car. So, it really depends on how much $$$ is involved and how quickly you need to get paid.