You don’t need a police report for all car insurance claims, unless your policy states that all accidents must be reported to the police, but you will need to file one if anyone was injured or if the cars were badly damaged. State laws differ for when a police report is necessary for a minor accident, but a police report can help your car accident insurance claim. Insurance companies like to see police reports because they provide third-party documentation of what happened at the scene. In many cases, each driver blames the other for the collision. The police report provides information from both drivers and it is typically written right after the accident. The law enforcement officer will also note the weather and road conditions at the time of the crash. Lack of a police report may delay your claim. Other evidence, such as photos taken at the scene and eyewitness accounts, can be a useful resource to assist with your claim after a minor accident if a police report was not filed.