Dealing with a Car Accident

Road Traffic Accident
It is not a pleasant experience to be involved in a road traffic accident however small it may be. Even the most trivial of incidents on the road can affect people so it is important to know what to do if you are unlucky enough to be caught in this situation. Firstly, stop the car safely. Turn on your hazard lights in order to alert other drivers of danger. If there are injuries involved immediately call 999 for an ambulance. If the road is obstructed you should call the police also.

Finer Details
Avoid admitting that you were in the wrong to the other driver even if you believe this to be the case as you don’t know what circumstances affected the other driver. You are obliged to supply your name and address to the other parties involved. It’s important to note also that if for example, you crash into a parked car you need to leave your details on the windscreen of the damaged car (if it is unattended).

Other Details
Be sure to get the name and contact details, including insurance details from the person involved with you in the accident. If at all possible you should take a photograph of the scene including the other car registration; you could simply use your Smartphone for this. Also make a note somewhere of the weather conditions at the time and any other important details relating to the scene such as witness names and contact details.

Next Step
Your next step should be to inform your own insurer of this incident. Failure to do so within the time scale set out in your policy documents may invalidate your cover, which would make the situation a lot worse. Give the claims department of your insurance company all the details that you have including any crash site information. If you want to continue with your claim, your insurance company will let you know what you need to do and they will sort out issues such as car body shop repairs. If other people were involved in the accident, your insurance company will contact the insurance companies of the other people and they will resolve the claims.

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