If You Have a Wreck in Your Own Driveway in Kentucky, Do You Have to Call the Police?

Thursday morning, my friend Mary-Katherine had a wreck in her own driveway. She accidentally backed her van (which we call the 'party barge') right into her husband's Ford Ranger. It was dark. She didn't see his truck and she ran right into it. In her words, "She heard a pop!" Well, that pop wasn't from his truck. It was from her van. The back bumper ended up scratched and dented. There's not an insane amount of damage, but enough. It's noticeable and, honestly, probably pretty costly if she chooses to fix it.

I kidded MKat that she had basically committed a hit and run in her own driveway. Technically, she told her husband about the wreck, but she didn't via text after she left the scene of the crime.

So, in Kentucky, do you have to report an accident if it happens in your own driveway? I reached out to an expert- Daviess County Sheriff Brad Youngman.

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Sheriff Youngman provided some helpful clarification. According to Kentucky state law, you MUST file a police report if one of the following things occur during an accident (no matter where it occurs): a) there is more than $500 damage or b) there is an injury involved. However, Brad admits that can be hard to judge.

While most people involved in an accident will call the police for a report, not everyone chooses to do so. Sheriff Youngman says he sees this a lot with deer collisions. However, insurance companies are likely going to require a report when filing any kind of accident claim. So, it's a good idea to have one readily available.

Sheriff Youngman says, "When in doubt, call." He elaborates to say, "It protects both sides if there's a dispute later on." He discourages people from trying to "work it out on their own." He maintains that it's best to get everything on paper and on record in case that "worked out" deal falls through.