what is the best way to handle a relatively minor accident at fault?

latieungao said:   I know i am at fault and it is my fault for not getting information from the right/official sources, but 70$ is a day work for me. Of course I will be happy to spend more if I had a better paying job.

FWIW, most folks wouldn't have cared about that. Their response probably would have been something along the line of "You should have thought about that BEFORE you ran into my car."

And if they had taken you to small claims court, your current pay check wouldn't have mattered, either.

daw4888 said:   Ya, you got very lucky. If they would have ticketed you for lack of insurance this would cost you a ton. In most states that means you have to get a special insurance wavier for a year to prove you maintain insurance, and it would be a huge cost in court fines/expenses. I would be extra nice, since they could still cause you some trouble if the pushed that officer that gave them the info on the subject of you not having insurance at the time of the accident. Ask them what they want, and if it even anywhere near reasonable, pay it.

Don't get me going. Two years ago I came close to being killed by a drunk driver who didn't have insurance, didn't have a drivers license (it was revoked from previous DUI's) and fled the scene. Long story, but he spent a week in jail, letting him out because he agreed to make restitution. This is in California. He shows up for no hearings, and I end up using an attorney and filing a large claim against my own uninsured motorist coverage. What the law is and what actually happens are two different stories.