It is best to report all accidents even if you don’t plan to make a claim in order to protect yourself and your assets. Injuries to people and to cars are not always immediately apparent. By reporting an accident as soon as you can, you’ll protect yourself against any possible claims that could arise down the line. And you never know if another person involved in the accident may decide to file a claim. Most auto insurance policies require that you report an accident within a “reasonable amount of time.” The exact interpretation of that is up to each insurance company. If you do not report an accident within a reasonable amount of time, your insurance company could refuse to pay any claims that came out of that accident. However, if there were no injuries or damages reported, it will not affect your insurance rates.