Being involved in a car accident is without doubt a stressful situation, where a plethora of worries and emotions run through your head. You’ll be concerned about everyone’s safety and fearful about damage to your vehicle, whether you will able to drive it to wherever you were going, how much it will cost to repair and so on.
Although it seems easy to say, it’s really important to keep a clear mind, as quick thinking and responsiveness are crucial when an accident occurs and gathering practical information will help greatly when it comes to sorting out the insurance side of things.
The first thing to do if you’re involved in an accident is to move your vehicle to the side of the road if it is safe to do so. Keeping your car out of the path of oncoming vehicles means you won’t obstruct the flow of traffic and it lessens the likelihood of another collision occurring. Turn your car off and switch on your hazard lights to alert other drivers.
You should then take a check of everyone involved in the accident and if anyone is injured call the emergency services (999) immediately. You should call the police if there are injuries, or if anyone involved leaves the scene, or the aftermath poses a risk to other road users. Even if the accident is minor and there isn’t a need to call the police you should still report the accident in person at a police station within twenty-four hours.
The next thing you should do is gather the names and addresses of everyone involved and get insurance and licence details for the other driver. If there are any witnesses make sure you get their details too.
Now you should do your best to capture the finer details of the accident. If you have a camera use it to take photographs of the scene; remember your mobile phone might have an inbuilt camera. If is safe to do so you may want to take photographs before you move your car so you have an accurate record of exact positions.
You should also take notes and make sketches of the position of the cars when the accident occurred. Take stock of where the vehicles’ occupants were seated as well as what direction and lane the vehicle was travelling in. Jot down details of the time, date and weather conditions, along with the other driver’s registration number. Taking notes when all the details are fresh in your mind will stand you in good stead further down the line.
Never admit fault at the scene of an accident and don’t make statements to anyone other than the police. Apportioning blame in a car accident is for the experts to decide once given the full set of circumstances so make sure you inform your car breakdown insurance company about what happened as soon as possible.
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Victoria Cochrane writes for a digital marketing agency. This article has been commissioned by a client of said agency. This article is not designed to promote, but should be considered professional content.
