Short answer: If a driver hits you and drives off, your uninsured motorist (UM) coverage may pay for your injuries, but only if you meet your state's reporting rules. California requires a police report within 24 hours and a sworn statement to your insurer within 30 days. North Carolina also uses 24 hours, or as soon as practicable. South Carolina and Virginia use a reasonable or prompt time standard with extra proof rules, Nevada ties the deadline to its crash-reporting law and requires physical contact, and Nebraska requires a police report plus an independent witness for no-contact cases.
Your policy may set its own notice rules too. Read the uninsured motorist section and follow the stricter one.
The table
| State | Police report deadline | Other requirements | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | Report to the city police, or in unincorporated areas the sheriff or CHP, within 24 hours | File a sworn statement with your insurer within 30 days after that. Bodily injury from an unknown driver requires physical contact with you or your car | Cal. Ins. Code §11580.2(b) |
| Louisiana | The UM statute sets no police-report deadline; check your policy's notice terms | No-contact ("miss-and-run") crashes are covered, but you must prove through an independent and disinterested witness that another driver, unknown or uninsured, caused the injury | La. R.S. 22:1295(1)(f) |
| Nebraska | For a no-contact hit-and-run, the accident must have been reported to the proper law enforcement authorities as required by law | The facts must also be corroborated by an independent, disinterested person (not you or anyone in your car); with physical contact, the unknown vehicle counts as uninsured without that corroboration rule | Neb. Rev. Stat. §44-6405 |
| Nevada | The crash must be reported within the time required by NRS 484E.030, 484E.040 or 484E.050 to the city police, or in unincorporated areas the county sheriff or Nevada Highway Patrol | An unknown driver's vehicle counts as uninsured only if the injury or death resulted from physical contact with you or the vehicle you were in | NRS §690B.020 |
| North Carolina | Report to a police, peace or judicial officer or the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles within 24 hours, or as soon after as practicable | Also give the insurer notice of the injury within a reasonable time; the insurer mails forms within 15 days of notice. Applies to a collision where the other driver can't be identified | N.C.G.S. §20-279.21(b)(3)b |
| Oregon | Report the accident within 72 hours to a police, peace or judicial officer or ODOT (or the equivalent agency in the state where it happened) | Within 30 days after that, file a sworn statement with your insurer. With contact, the insurer can ask to inspect your car; with no contact ("phantom" vehicle), the facts must be corroborated by evidence other than your own testimony or another claimant's | ORS 742.504(2)(b), (2)(g) |
| South Carolina | Report to an appropriate police authority within a reasonable time after the accident | Also need physical contact, a witness who signs an affidavit, or a recording of the accident, and you must not have been negligent in failing to identify the other driver (2024 rewrite) | S.C. Code §38-77-170 |
| Texas | The UM statute sets no police-report deadline; check your policy's notice terms | An unidentified driver's vehicle counts as uninsured for bodily injury only if there was actual physical contact with you or the vehicle you were in | Tex. Ins. Code § 1952.104(3) |
| Virginia | No-contact hit-and-run: report promptly to your insurer or to law enforcement where it happened, or as soon as reasonably practicable | An action can be filed against "John Doe" with service on your insurer | Va. Code §38.2-2206(D)–(E) |
| Wisconsin | No-contact ("phantom") vehicle: you or someone for you must report the accident to a police, peace or judicial officer or the Department of Transportation within 72 hours (or to the equivalent agency if it happened in another state) | Within 30 days, also file a sworn statement with the insurer setting out the facts, and the facts must be corroborated by someone other than the people claiming. An unidentified hit-and-run vehicle that does make contact counts as uninsured without these extra steps | Wis. Stat. § 632.32(2)(bh), (2)(g)2.-3.) |
We list only states where we read the official text ourselves in October 2026. A state that is missing is not covered here; check that state's statute or insurance department.
What to do right after a hit-and-run
- Call the police right away and get the report number.
- Photograph the scene, your car and any paint transfer, and get witness names and phone numbers.
- Notify your insurer in writing and ask what forms they need for a UM claim.
- See a doctor and keep the records.
Compare coverage rules in uninsured motorist requirements by state.
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Methodology
Each row was read from the official source linked in the Source column in October 2026. This is general information, not legal advice. See also the state insurance rules hub.
Frequently asked questions
How long do I have to report a hit-and-run in California for a UM claim?
Report to police within 24 hours and file a sworn statement with your insurer within 30 days after that (Cal. Ins. Code §11580.2).
Does a hit-and-run need physical contact for UM coverage?
In California, bodily injury from an unknown driver requires physical contact. South Carolina accepts contact, a signed witness affidavit or a recording.
Can I make a UM claim if I never got the other driver's plate?
Often yes, if you meet your state's reporting rules and your policy's notice terms.
Alishahi Insurance · 439 N Canon Dr, Penthouse, Beverly Hills, CA 90210 · (877) 711-4545 · CA License #4348151. General information only. Not legal, tax or financial advice, and not a coverage determination. Coverage depends on policy language and underwriting, and rules vary by state.