Insurance claim question

I was involved in a accident with a pedestrian on Monday which the attending police said was 100% her fault.

I am now starting the process of going through my insurance company to get the bike sorted out and to hopefully claim off her if possible.

My question is this:

If I decided not to go through my insurance company and paid for the damage myself then chased her for the costs through the small claims would the fact that I had reported the accident to them still be a mark against me and influence my future premium? Am I right in thinking that there is a general database now where incidents are logged that all insurance companies have access to?

Hope this makes sense. Thanks for any advice

Liz

dancbr600rider is your man for this