What to do if you have a car accident

We all hope that it never happens to us but, unfortunately, there’s a chance that we could be involved in a road traffic accident at some point in our lives. It can be a very upsetting experience, but by being prepared and knowing exactly what to do at the time will help you to feel more confident should the situation arise.

If you do have a car accident, the first and most important thing to remember is that you must stop, whether or not the accident is your fault. In fact, it is against the law to leave the scene of an accident without stopping.

Secondly, you should check to see if anyone has been injured, then call the Police, and an ambulance or the fire brigade if it is serious. You should also make sure that you and any other people involved are safe from any traffic around you. You can warn other traffic of the accident, but do not put yourself in any danger by doing this. And if the cars involved are not blocking traffic and it’s safe to leave them where they are, don’t move them until someone who wasn’t involved in the accident has made a note of their positions.

You must stay at the scene of the accident long enough to give your name, address and phone number, and the name, address and phone number of the person who owns the car (if it is different), as well as the car’s registration number, to anyone who needs it. You should also ask for this information from the other driver involved in the accident and any people who saw the accident occur. In addition, you should swap names and addresses of car insurance companies and policy numbers (if known).

You should also be aware that you must give your car insurance details to anyone who has been injured or who wants to make a claim against you, even if you feel that the accident wasn’t your fault. (Bear in mind that, as a general rule, the driver of a car that goes into the back of another one is the person at fault – even if the car in front braked sharply or unexpectedly). And the same is true if you have been injured or want to make a claim – the other driver must give you his car insurance details. If either you or the other driver does not provide these insurance details, then this should be reported to the Police.

Even if you feel that the accident was your fault, do not discuss this at the scene of the accident as your insurers will take care of this for you.

Before you leave the scene of the accident, it’s a very good idea to write down all the details of the accident, and draw a sketch, mapping out what happened. And take a note of the other car’s make and model. If you have a camera with you (perhaps there’s one on your mobile phone) then take photographs of the cars involved and any damage caused to them and the surroundings. If you cannot drive your car away, then call your insurance company and they should be able to arrange for it to be taken to a nearby garage.

Once you’ve collected as much information as possible, you’ll need to tell your insurers that you’ve had an accident, even if you don’t intend to make a claim.

And remember, if you bump into a parked car, even if the owner is nowhere to be seen, you are legally obliged to leave a note with your contact details on the windscreen.