Your hands are still shaking. The other driver is walking toward you, and someone nearby says, “Make sure you get their insurance.” Got it, but get it how? A name? A phone number? Their whole policy number? Most people don’t find out what “exchanging information” actually means until they’re standing on the side of the road trying to figure it out in real time. Here’s exactly what to get, what Florida law requires, and what to skip so you’re not caught guessing when it matters most.
What Florida Law Actually Requires You to Exchange
Here’s the good news: Florida keeps this part simple. Under Florida Statute § 316.062, if you’re in an accident, you’re required to give the other driver (and any responding officer) four things:
- Name
- Address
- Vehicle’s registration number
- Driver’s license, if you’re asked to show it
That’s it. That’s the legal minimum, and it applies to everyone involved in the crash, not just the driver who caused it. You also have to render reasonable help if someone’s hurt, which can mean calling for medical attention or helping arrange transport if needed.
Skip any of this, and you’re not just being difficult. Under the statute, it’s a traffic infraction, and if the crash caused injury or serious damage, the stakes get a lot higher than a citation.
You don’t need a formal script for this. In practice, the easiest and safest way to exchange information is to skip the back-and-forth talking and just swap photos. Ask to see their driver’s license and insurance card, snap a clear photo of both, and hand yours over the same way. It’s faster, there’s zero room for a misspelled name or a wrong number, and you walk away with a record instead of a memory.
If a phone isn’t an option for some reason, write it down instead of just saying it out loud. Voices get missed in a stressful moment. Ink doesn’t.
Now, four pieces of information will get you technically compliant with the law. But as you might assume, that’s not enough to actually get your car fixed or your medical bills paid. So let’s talk about what else you’ll want to collect while you’re still standing there.
What You Should Also Collect (Beyond the Legal Minimum)
Florida law gets you the basics; your insurance company needs a lot more than that to actually move on your claim. So while you’re still at the scene, take the extra two minutes to get:
- Insurance company name and policy number. This is the single most important item for your adjuster. Without it, they’re stuck trying to track down the other driver’s carrier from scratch, and that delay is on you.
- Phone number. Not required by law, but worth having in case anything gets missed or a detail needs confirming later.
- Vehicle make, model, and license plate. Even if you already have their registration number, the plate itself helps confirm you’re looking at the right vehicle if there’s ever a dispute.
- Photos of their driver’s license and insurance card. Front and back on the insurance card. That way you’ve got the policy number, the carrier, and the effective dates, not just a name someone gave you verbally.
- Photos of the damage. Both vehicles, several angles, close up and from a distance.
- Photos of the scene. Where the cars ended up, skid marks, traffic signals, street signs, anything that shows how the accident happened.
Here’s something we hear constantly from clients who’ve been through this: they got a name and a phone number, and later found out the number was wrong or the insurance had lapsed. A policy number and a photo of the actual card closes that gap. It’s the difference between “they said they had insurance” and having something your adjuster can actually run with.
And once you’ve got all of that, there’s one more category of photo people almost always forget, and it’s the one that ends up mattering the most when someone tries to change their story later.
Why Photos Matter More Than People Think
Most people think photos are just for proving the damage. That’s true, but it’s not the whole story. Photos are also how you protect yourself from someone else’s story changing later.
We’ve seen cases where the details shifted once an insurance claim was filed. From our years of experience, we advise you on a few next steps that make accident photos actually useful, not just a pile of blurry shots:
- Get the full scene before anything moves. Wide shots showing both vehicles’ positions, the road, traffic signals, and any skid marks. Once cars are moved, this angle is gone for good.
- Then get close. Zoom in on the specific damage to each vehicle, from a few different angles.
- Photograph the people, not just the cars. The other driver, any passengers, and if there are witnesses nearby, ask if you can get a photo of them too, along with their contact info.
- Capture the environment. Street signs, intersection layout, weather conditions, anything that shows how the accident could have happened. If there’s a red-light camera or a business with a visible security camera nearby, note that location. Footage disappears fast, sometimes within 24 hours, so knowing where to look matters.
- Don’t stage or move anything for a “better” shot. Photograph it as it actually is.
The instinct to think “I’ll remember how this looked” is understandable, but adrenaline does strange things to memory. A photo doesn’t forget, and it can’t be talked out of what it saw.
Of course, none of those photos help much if the other driver won’t stick around long enough to be in one.
What Happens If the Other Driver Won’t Cooperate or Takes Off
Every driver in Florida is legally required to carry a license, proof of insurance, and registration whenever they’re behind the wheel. And once an accident happens, they’re not allowed to just refuse to hand that information over. As our firm’s founding partner, Michael Steinger, puts it:
“Everybody is legally required to have a driver’s license on them and proof of insurance and registration at all times when driving a vehicle. The fact that they refuse to give it to you isn’t allowed. Call the police.”
So if the other driver won’t cooperate, gets defensive, or straight-up drives away, here’s what to do: don’t chase them, and don’t try to force the issue yourself. Get what you can safely get. A license plate number is often enough. Note the vehicle’s color, make, and model, and if you can safely snap a photo as they pull away, do it. Then call the police right away.
This is exactly what officers are there for. As Michael explains:
“The police will get copies of their insurance, their registration, their driver’s license, and they will provide copies of those to you through the accident report.”
You don’t need the other driver’s cooperation for the police to do their job. Their refusal to talk to you doesn’t mean they get to skip having proof of any of it.
And this is a good moment to be clear on when to make that call in the first place, because it’s not just for uncooperative drivers. Always call the police if anyone is injured, if there’s a fatality, or if property damage looks like it’s at least $500 (that threshold is set to rise to $2,000 starting October 1, 2026, so keep an eye on that date). Beyond the legal requirement, having an officer on scene means an official record exists no matter what the other driver says later, or doesn’t want to say at all, cooperative or not.
Leaving the scene of an accident in Florida is a serious offense under Florida Statute § 316.027, and the penalties escalate fast depending on what happened. Leaving after a crash involving injury is a felony.
Now, what if none of that works out? What if you didn’t manage to get their information and there’s no officer report to fall back on? That doesn’t mean your case is finished, and it’s worth understanding exactly why.
If You Couldn’t Get Their Info, Is Your Case Over?
Take a breath. This is the moment a lot of people assume is game over, and it’s not.
Maybe they sped off before you got the plate. Maybe it was dark, or chaotic, or you were too shaken to think clearly enough to grab a photo. Whatever happened, not having the other driver’s information doesn’t automatically mean you’re out of options.
Here’s why. Every driver in Florida is required to carry uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage, or has the option to under Florida Statute § 627.727, and this is exactly the kind of situation it exists for. If the at-fault driver can’t be identified, UM coverage can step in to cover your damages, the same way it would if you were hit by someone with no insurance at all.
Beyond your own coverage, there’s real investigative work that can still happen after the fact:
- Traffic and business camera footage can sometimes identify a vehicle even without a plate number, though the window to get it is short since most footage overwrites within days.
- Witness accounts from anyone nearby who saw more than you did in the moment.
- The police report itself, even an incomplete one, documents that the accident happened and how, which matters for both your claim and any ongoing search for the other driver.
The honest truth is this: missing information makes a case harder, not hopeless. What actually determines whether you have a path forward is how quickly the right pieces get pulled together, and that’s where having someone who knows exactly where to look and how fast to move makes the difference.
One more scenario worth covering while we’re on the subject of missing information: what if you’re the one who caused the damage, and there was no one around to exchange anything with?
What Information to Leave If You Hit a Parked Car
Sometimes there’s no one around to exchange information with, just an empty car in a lot or a clipped mailbox. Florida law still expects you to handle it right.
Under § 316.063, if you damage an unattended vehicle or property and can’t find the owner, you must leave a note with your name and address, and make a reasonable effort to notify the owner or the police. Skip the “sorry,” just stick to the facts.
Drive off without leaving anything, and that’s treated the same as leaving the scene of any accident, a second-degree misdemeanor under § 316.061, punishable by up to 60 days in jail and a $500 fine.
Found a note on your own car? Hang onto it. Photograph it before removing it, then document the rest the same way you would for any accident.
Whether you were the one who got hit or the one who caused it, everything comes back to the same thing: what you document now shapes what happens with your claim later.
Why This All Matters for Your Claim Later
What you document at the scene can directly affect what you recover, and how much. Here’s why:
- PIP has limits. Florida’s no-fault system covers initial medical bills and lost wages regardless of fault, but for anything beyond that, you’ll need to pursue the at-fault driver directly, and that’s where your documentation becomes your foundation.
- Fault percentage matters. Under Florida’s comparative fault rule, being found more than 50% at fault bars you from recovering anything. Accurate scene details protect you from a dispute turning into an assumption.
- Small things hold up later. A clear photo, a correct policy number, an accurate account of what happened- these are what stand up when an insurance company starts asking questions.
We’re Here When You’re Ready
Not sure what you have or what’s missing? That’s exactly what we help clients figure out every day.
Steinger, Greene & Feiner has represented injured clients across Florida since 1997. We can look at what you’ve gathered, spot any gaps, and help track down what’s missing before it’s too late to get it. If you’ve been in an accident, contact us for a free case evaluation. No fee unless we recover for you.
Our attorneys in West Palm Beach, Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Tampa, Fort Myers, Port St. Lucie, and across Florida can review your case and evidence, then recommend the next steps that best protect your interests. Call us anytime or reach out through our website. Our team is available 24/7.
