Hit and run evidence What to write down before you lose it.

Say the plate out loud, then type it. Memory of a fleeing car degrades in minutes, so do not chase, and call 911 while the details are still in your head. A claim on your own uninsured motorist coverage for an unidentified driver requires a police report within 24 hours and a sworn statement within 30 days.

In the first sixty seconds

The plate, even part of it, and the stateThree characters narrow a search more than you would think. Type it into your phone before anything else.
Make, model, color, and body type“White pickup, extended cab, lifted” is enough to start with.
Where the damage is on their carA broken passenger side mirror or a crumpled rear quarter panel is what an officer looks for in a body shop or a driveway.
Stickers, decals, a rack, a dent that was already thereThe things that make one white pickup different from ten thousand.
Direction fled, and the street“Eastbound on Ventura, turned right on Reseda.” Note the time.
The driver, and how many people were in the carOnly what you saw. Do not guess.

Before you leave the scene

Call 911 and make the report now, not tomorrowYour own uninsured motorist claim for an unidentified vehicle depends on a report to police within 24 hours under Insurance Code 11580.2.
Paint transfer and damage on your car, photographedTheir paint on your bumper is proof of physical contact, which the statute requires for an unidentified driver claim.
Witnesses and their numbers, and anyone who filmed itAsk the person who stopped. Ask the person on the corner.
Cameras within a block: store, doorbell, gas station, busWrite down the addresses. Footage overwrites in days.
Your own policy: find the UM line on the declarations pageThat is the coverage that pays when the driver is never found. Our policy checklist shows where it is.

Two clocks start today

A police report within 24 hours. A sworn statement to your own insurer within 30 days. Miss either and the uninsured motorist claim can be denied on the calendar, not the facts.