Originally Posted by
CB HI
Not that NYPD would give a rip, but OP, you could have followed the passenger and reported to NYPD plus the cabbies where he went; home, work, bar. He did unlawfully leave the scene of a collision he caused and he could be held liable.
yes and no.
In NYS the driver of a car is responsible for the actions of his passengers. So the initial insurance claim will be argued between the two involved insurers, then the one who pays might try suing to recover that loss.
That's part of the problem, passengers have a very low standard of responsibility.
There have been proposals now and then for selective door locks, whereby the driver can lock either side, forcing the passenger to use the other, but so far no mandate on that. I do know some people who've done the modification on their own, including a friend who did it for added safety when ferrying the kids to school and such.