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What to do if there’s an accident
A happy, healthy car needs a bit more than a weekly visit to the petrol station and a monthly wash and polish. But armed with our tips on running a car you’ll be able to carry out basic and preventative maintenance yourself, saving you money at the garage.
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Most of us will experience being involved in a car accident at some point in our life.
There are some important things you must do at the scene of an accident. Welfare comes first, so call the emergency services and request an ambulance immediately if anyone has been injured in the accident.
WAIT - It is a criminal offence to leave an accident; you must stay until the police have arrived.
REQUEST - The contact names and addresses of the other driver(s) and any witnesses, and note registration numbers of any cars involved.
EXCHANGE - Car insurance details with the other party or parties involved. Keeping a note in your car of your insurance company name, address and even the policy number can be very useful.
REPORT - Having collected all the information you need you should contact the claims department of your insurance company. It is a condition of most car insurance policies that you report the accident immediately, whether you need to make a claim or not.
When you talk to your insurers, be clear about what happened but don’t discuss blame as that may affect the claim process.
It is also a legal requirement to leave your contact details on a note (tucked under the windscreen wipers) should you bump into and consequently mark and/or dent an empty, parked car.
