+1
any time there's contact between two or more vehicles, there's legitimate reason to get the police involved. in most (all?) US states they won't investigate anything on private property unless there are injuries (because traffic laws don't apply on private property), but on public roads... yeah... ANY contact is seriously bad and one should not hesitate to get the police involved. unless of course it's your own damn fault, and you just want to get on with your day
FWIW, my recent crash is on video -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-4UGUlbL1s
the old guy seems to have tried passing me without any room to pass, without any room to get in front of me, traveling towards a red light, using a turn-only lane, going over the crest of a hill, over the center line and against oncoming traffic. then when he sees that it won't work out, he swerves into me and doesn't even slow down until i blast my air-horn. all on video. so far, it seems like the police are only issuing a formal warning for "careless driving", but that'll be all i need to make sure i get reimbursed for the wheels... i should know soon if i'll get reimbursed sooner or later. as a civil matter, a formal warning against him should be sufficient to "prove" that he's responsible for the damage caused to my wheels - technically, that means the police DID take action against him. still, i'd like to see him charged with "dangerous driving" and lose his license for six months.
i asked the investigating officer, twice, if she could explain to me what criteria wasn't met that she was not able to file charges. i haven't heard back.
this video shows a MV overtaking two cyclists while crossing the center line against oncoming traffic, forcing the oncoming car to swerve -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zc***xSa91s
if that one gets a ticket (i'd like to think he will, even in NZ), then i'll be asking the investigating officer's supervisor what criteria wasn't met in the prior case that charges weren't filed.