SR-22 car insurance certificate

Q: I ran into another car backing into a parking lot yesterday. It only put a small dent in their car, and nothing on mine. I figure I could just pay for it in cash. Is this better than filing a claim with my SR-22 car insurance certificate company?

A: It could be, but any time you choose to pay another driver for damages in cash rather than going through your SR-22 car insurance certificate, you’re making a gamble which could be very dangerous. You’re talking about a stranger. You don’t know what they’ll do with your money. Maybe they’ll spend it and then file a claim. Maybe they’ll go to your company and claim more damages than are really there. It’s unknown.

Also, you don’t really know if the damages are as small as you say they are. Are you a mechanic? Have you checked both cars entirely? Sometimes small accidents can trigger bigger internal problems in a vehicle which wouldn’t show up until later, by which time it would be too late for you to get your money back. Same thing goes for injuries–you may not feel it at the time, but later you could start having headaches and backaches and so on, and then you’ll be paying for all of that. It’s always best to just file a claim with your SR-22 car insurance certificate if you are in an accident with another driver.