Being involved in a car accident is one of the last things you want happen to you. Like many of life’s unpleasant surprises, it can really put a dent in your plans and cause undue stress
But knowing what to do should you be involved in a car accident can help a great deal in dealing with an often worrying situation. As we like to make things simple, we have outlined a guide for you to follow:
1. Before anything else – keep calm!
The first thing to remember is to not panic – keep calm at all times after the accident has happened. Keeping calm will be to the benefit of everybody involved in the accident and will also help you to reconstruct the entire event in your head so that you can inform your insurer of the accident.
2. Make sure nobody is hurt
Make sure that you and other people such as your passengers and the other driver and passengers are not injured. If someone has sustained an injury, contact the emergency services immediately while providing as much details as you can about the accident. If necessary, move your vehicles to a safer location such as the road side.
3. Take one another’s details
Once you’re certain nobody is injured, you must then exchange information with the other party involved such as:
- Names, addresses and phone numbers
- Name of your insurer as well as your policy number
- Details of the car (its registration number, year, make, model and colour)
- Driving Licence Numbers
- If you don’t own the vehicle involved, you must give the address of the vehicle’s owner
If there have been eyewitnesses, get their contact details from them. At this stage, we strongly suggest that you do not admit liability for the accident– even if the accident was your fault.
4. Take notes of the accident
After you have given all necessary details to the other party, take the opportunity there and then to make notes of the damage sustained to the vehicle. You should also draw a sketch of the accident location and include approximate road measurements as well as any road markings, signs and traffic lights. This is advised as you will be asked to outline as much detail as possible by filling out an accident report form for your insurer.
5. Notify your insurer and/or broker
When you have made your accident notes and taken all information as recommended above, you must notify your insurance company or your broker straight away to inform them you have been involved in an accident. As a broker, you can always contact us first to report an accident.
However, if the accident happens outside of work hours, you can contact your insurer direct who will have a 24 hour accident helpline and simply inform us or your broker the next working day. When you have reported the incident, you will be sent an accident report form which must be completed and returned within 30 days from the date of the accident being reported. When you have submitted the form within the allowed time frame, it will then be investigated and you will then be informed who was responsible for the car accident as well as the next steps that must be taken.
