Do I Have to Report a Car Accident to My Insurance If It Wasn’t My Fault?
One of the most common questions after a car accident is whether you’re required to notify your own insurance company—especially when the crash wasn’t your fault. In Texas, the short answer is technically no, but the full answer is a little more nuanced.
Texas Is an At-Fault State
Texas follows an at-fault insurance system, meaning the driver who caused the accident is generally responsible for paying damages. This includes:
Property damage to your vehicle
Medical bills
Pain and suffering
Lost wages
Because of this, injured drivers typically open a claim with the at-fault driver’s insurance company, not their own.
Do You Have to Notify Your Own Insurance Company?
Legally speaking, you are not automatically required to report an accident to your own insurer if you were not at fault. In many cases, people handle the entire claim process through the other driver’s insurance and never file a claim with their own carrier.
It is possible to:
Get your car repaired
Receive compensation for injuries
Settle the claim
—all without directly involving your own insurance company.
Will Your Insurance Company Find Out Anyway?
Possibly. Insurance companies often share claim information through industry databases. This means:
Your insurer may be notified
Or they may not be notified
There’s no guarantee either way. However, if you were not at fault, an accident appearing on your record generally should not affect your rates.
When You Should Notify Your Own Insurance
There are situations where notifying your insurer is necessary—or at least beneficial:
1. If You Were At Fault
If you caused the accident, your policy will likely require notice. If you have:
Collision coverage, it can pay to repair your vehicle
Liability coverage, it protects you against the other driver’s claim
2. If You Have Personal Injury Protection (PIP)
PIP coverage can help pay medical bills regardless of fault, but you must open a claim with your own insurer to use it.
3. If the Other Driver Has No Insurance or Not Enough Insurance
If the at-fault driver:
Is uninsured, or
Carries only minimum coverage that isn’t enough to fully compensate you
—you may need to use your uninsured/underinsured motorist (UM/UIM) coverage, which again requires notifying your own insurer.
Bottom Line
If you were not at fault, Texas law does not require you to automatically report the accident to your insurance company, and many claims are handled entirely through the at-fault driver’s insurer. That said, your insurance company may still learn about the accident, and certain situations—such as needing PIP, collision coverage, or UM/UIM benefits—make notifying your insurer necessary.
Before making any decisions, it’s often wise to speak with an experienced personal injury attorney who can help you determine the best course of action and protect you from unnecessary insurance complications.
