What Qualifies as a Reasonable Effort to Identify The Property Owner When You Hit an Unattended Car?

When you strike an unattended vehicle and no one is injured, you have a legal obligation to stop immediately and make a reasonable effort to find the vehicle’s owner to exchange information. If you find the owner, you must give the vehicle’s owner your name, address, license number, and insurance information in most states.

If you cannot locate the owner, you are required by law to leave a note with specific information in a conspicuous place on the vehicle you struck. In the note, you must provide at least your name and address, although you may want to provide your phone number as well. Remember to place the note in a place where the owner of the vehicle will find it easily, such as on the windshield. Although not required by law, it’s also a good idea to take down the make, model, and license plate number of the vehicle you hit in the event you still do not hear from the owner after leaving a note.

The rules concerning a situation where a driver strikes property other than a vehicle are very similar, again assuming no one was hurt in the collision. The driver is also obligated in this situation to try to notify the property owner in person and provide him/her with the driver’s name and address. If the owner of the property cannot be found, the driver must leave a note with his/her name and address on an easy-to-see place on the damaged property.

Failure to follow these guidelines in a collision with an unattended vehicle or property could result in a misdemeanor hit and run charge in most states.