Under Michigan law, anyone involved in a crash that damages another occupied vehicle must stop at the scene immediately, exchange identifying information with the other driver, and stay until that exchange is complete. Driving away before doing so is called leaving the scene of an accident in Michigan, and it is a misdemeanor under MCL 257.618 punishable by up to 90 days in jail, a fine of up to $100, and six points on your driving record.1Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 257.618
What You Must Do at the Scene
The duty kicks in the moment you know or have reason to believe you were in a crash on any public road or private property open to public travel. Stop your vehicle right there, or as close as you can get without blocking traffic unnecessarily. Pulling onto a shoulder or into a nearby parking area is fine. Driving off is not.1Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 257.618
Once stopped, MCL 257.619 requires you to give the other driver, any occupants of the other vehicle, or a police officer at the scene the following:
- Your name and home address
- The name and address of the vehicle’s owner, if that is not you
- The registration number of the vehicle you were driving
- Your driver’s license, which you must show on request
If you are driving a friend’s car or a company vehicle, you have to be ready to hand over the registered owner’s name and address too, not just your own.2Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 257.619
Fault has nothing to do with it. The duty to stop and exchange information applies to every driver involved, including the one who was hit. A common assumption is that the person who was struck can just leave. That is wrong, and it exposes you to the same charge as the driver who caused the crash.
If You Hit a Parked or Unattended Vehicle
Clipping a mirror in a parking lot or backing into an empty car at the grocery store triggers a separate statute, MCL 257.620. You have to stop and try to find the owner or operator. If you find them, give them your name and address and the vehicle owner’s name and address. If you cannot locate them, you are required to report the incident to the nearest police officer right away.3Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 257.620
A note on the windshield is not enough on its own. Leaving contact information and then calling the police is what the statute actually requires. A large share of hit-and-run charges come from parking-lot incidents where the driver thought no one would notice. Cameras and witnesses are everywhere.
When You Also Have to Call the Police
MCL 257.622 requires any driver in a crash that causes apparent property damage of $1,000 or more to report it immediately to the nearest police station or officer. Modern repair costs push even minor collisions over that line quickly, so the safer practice is to call. This reporting duty is separate from the duty to exchange information. You have to do both.4Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 257.622
Penalties for Leaving the Scene
A violation of MCL 257.618 involving damage to an occupied vehicle is a misdemeanor. A judge can impose up to 90 days in jail, a fine of up to $100, or both.1Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 257.618 Court costs are added on top of the fine and often exceed it. Because this is a criminal misdemeanor rather than a civil infraction, a conviction creates a criminal record.
A conviction also adds six points to your Michigan driving record, among the highest point values in the state’s system.5Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 257.320a For comparison, most speeding tickets carry two to four points. The six points stay on your record for two years from the date of conviction.6Michigan Secretary of State. What Every Driver Must Know – Chapter Two: Your Driving Record If your total reaches nine or more, the Secretary of State can call you in for a driver reexamination, with another three points added automatically if you fail to appear. The Secretary of State handles these administrative sanctions separately from whatever happens in criminal court, triggered by the abstract of conviction the court sends over.7Michigan Courts. District Court Magistrate Manual – Licensing Sanctions
Insurance consequences land on top of everything else. Rate increases of two to four times your previous premium are not unusual after a hit-and-run conviction, and some insurers will drop a policyholder entirely, pushing you into a high-risk policy that costs significantly more.
Civil liability runs on its own track. The other driver can sue you for property damage whether you stayed or left, but a hit-and-run conviction is powerful evidence of fault and can support enhanced damages in some courts. A fender-bender claim that would have been routine becomes much more expensive to resolve once you leave.
The Narrow Safety Exception
MCL 257.618 contains one exception. If you genuinely and honestly believe that staying at the scene would put you in further danger, you can leave and immediately report the accident to the nearest police agency or officer. You still have to provide your name, address, registration number, and license to law enforcement right away.1Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 257.618 This covers situations like a road-rage confrontation or a crash on a highway where standing outside the car would be hazardous. It is not a workaround. Driving home first or waiting until the next morning to call defeats the safety justification and leaves you exposed to the full charge.