Generally speaking, a car accident police report can significantly influence your insurance claims (since it’s a requirement for some insurance companies) and your legal proceedings (if claims of the car accident escalate). As an example, your claim might be paid faster or the judge might take your side if the police report states that the other party ran a stop sign.

More importantly, it can, in some cases, be used as evidence to support your case. The issue is, when it comes to the admissibility of these reports as evidence in trial, there is no single answer, as states differ. Most states consider police reports hearsay and would only be admissible as evidence if the officer himself testifies or it fits a state’s rule. 

It is important to note that car accident police reports can be of great help in establishing pre-litigation investigations, maybe even leading to settlements before matters escalate to legal proceedings.

Ultimately, a police report adds a lot of credibility to your claims, in the sense that it contains witness and driver’s statements, which could help back your claims later in trial if someone decides to alter the facts.