Photo from Wikimedia Commons
With no injuries and no scene photos after the other driver leaves, organise your recorded plate and other available information. Ask Dubai Police which reporting route applies and what it accepts; a plate alone does not guarantee a report.
Photo from Wikimedia Commons
CONTENTS
Prepare an honest record
Use these categories to organise what you have. They are practical prompts, not an official police checklist.
- Recorded information: the plate as you noted it, the time and place, the other vehicle’s make, model or colour, and the damage you observed. Include only what you actually recorded.
- Existing documents and files: your rental agreement, paperwork supplied with the car and any files or photographs you already hold.
- Later recall: details remembered afterwards, such as vehicle movements or the order of events. Label them as recollection rather than notes made at the scene.
- Possible leads: a dashcam, nearby cameras or a witness contact, but only if you have reason to think they exist. Footage you have not obtained is still a lead.
- Missing or unconfirmed items: a police report or reference, the other driver’s confirmed identity, footage, company instructions or a repair estimate. List the gaps without presenting them as records you already hold.
Ask Dubai Police what you may photograph or share, including images of the person, vehicle or plate. The archived Article 44 English text, captured on 16 August 2026, does not settle the vehicle-or-plate scenario; a current official clarification of this collision situation remains unconfirmed.
For cameras near the scene, ask whether footage can be checked and how authorised access would work. The cited 2018 Dubai security-industry bylaw does not establish a driver’s entitlement to receive CCTV footage, and amendments to that text have not been checked.
Keep the inventory available when you ask which information police will accept. It helps you explain what you hold without filling gaps from memory or assuming that a possible recording is already evidence.
Confirm the reporting route with Dubai Police
Dubai Police’s published contact distinction is 999 for emergencies and 901 for enquiries and non-emergency requests. It does not classify every traffic collision as an emergency or a non-emergency.
For this minor collision without injuries, explain that the other driver left, you recorded the plate and you lack scene photos. The archived Minor Traffic Accident Report and Unknown Accident Report descriptions do not establish which reporting route applies to that combination. Ask Dubai Police on 901 or at a police station rather than choosing a service from its name.
Put three practical questions to police:
- Which service or police-station procedure applies to these circumstances?
- Which notes, files and photos, if any, can I provide, and in what form?
- What reference number or report would I receive for follow-up and for the rental company?
The service information comes from archived captures: 19 November 2025 for Minor Traffic Accident Report, 16 January 2026 for Unknown Accident Report and 11 December 2025 for the 901 contact page. Current requirements need confirmation; the live site could not be verified on 5 October 2026.
Keep any reference or report actually supplied, together with the date and contact details from the conversation. Being directed to a service does not itself produce a report. These sources establish no tracing time, successful identification, case classification or liability outcome for this scenario.
Check your rental company’s requirements while police follow-up is pending
Contact your rental company while police follow-up is pending. Ask what applies to your rental:
- How should I notify you about the accident, and what documents and deadlines apply?
- What cover, exclusions and excess, if any, apply under my agreement?
- What do you authorise about repairs, and can I have those instructions in writing?
Hertz UAE provides a concrete example of why these checks matter. Its published conditions belong to that provider; they do not establish your own agreement, cover or eventual charges.
Notification and report copy. Hertz requires renters to inform it after an accident, with or without damage, report the accident to police immediately to obtain a valid report, and send Hertz a copy. Under its terms, failing to supply that copy within a reasonable period voids the Collision Damage Waiver (CDW) and any other insurance under the agreement. The renter then bears Hertz’s actual costs for vehicle loss or damage. The published wording gives no fixed day count.
Cover and excess. Hertz’s terms say the excess amount is stated in each Hertz rental agreement; the published terms give no figure. Sending a report copy does not establish that all cover conditions have been met: Hertz also has exclusions and compliance conditions. Check the cover and excess, if any, that your actual provider confirms for your agreement.
Responsibility in the report. Hertz also addresses a police report or repair letter that does not identify the third party responsible for the accident. In that case, the renter bears Hertz’s expenses and costs, or the excess liability amount for the insurance type selected, if any. A plate you recorded does not establish whether police will identify a responsible third party in the document.
Repair permission. Hertz requires its prior written approval for repairs. Ask your own provider what it authorises before work starts, and keep any instructions or approval received.
Retain the messages, documents you send and any police reference or report. These are useful follow-up records, rather than a universal list of what every company will demand. Police classification, responsibility, insurance cover and rental charges remain separate checks; the Hertz example does not determine what you personally will pay.
