Have you just been in a car accident or want to know what to do if you have one in the future?
While it’s not a pleasant thing to think about, the truth is that such an accident can happen whenever you go out driving. Here we’ll run through the steps of what you should do just after you’ve been caught up in a car accident and address any questions you may have.
What should be done straight after a car accident?
When you’ve just been involved in a car accident, you must stop your car as soon as possible, even if you consider the accident to be very minor.
If you don’t stop your car and simply drive away from the scene then you’ll be breaking the law. Specifically, you’ll be committing two offences under the Road Traffic Act – failing to stop and failing to report.
Therefore, you should pull over, ideally in a safe and convenient spot, switch off the engine and turn on your car’s hazard lights.
Who do I need to call?
Who must be called depends on the severity of the car accident. Once you’ve pulled up, check around to see if anyone has been injured and if that’s the case then call the police and, if necessary, an ambulance too on 999. You should also call the police anyway if the car accident is blocking a road.
Just as a side note - If you call the police about a car accident but confirm it has caused no injuries or obstructions to the road, then they may decide not to attend the scene themselves.
Even if they don’t witness the incident or aftermath, car accidents still need to be reported to the police within 24 hours after it occurred. Fail to do so and you could potentially face a fine, penalty points on your licence, disqualification from driving or up to six months imprisonment.
What details do I need to give and receive?
When you’ve been involved in a car accident, you’re legally obliged to share your name and address with anyone else involved.
As well as sharing this, make sure you get the names, addresses and contact numbers of other drivers involved and note them down with pen and paper. If you or nobody else involved has anything for writing details down, then consider alternatively typing them on your phone (preferably with a note taking app).
Ask the other drivers involved in a car accident about their insurance details and whether they are the registered keeper of the vehicle. If a driver isn’t the registered keeper of the vehicle involved, then get the name and address of whoever owns it.
If you get a chance, make a note of the licence plates of other vehicles involved in an accident.
Having the licence plate noted is especially handy if anyone leaves the scene of the accident without leaving their details. Should this actually happen, by the way, you should call the police immediately.
Do I need my insurance certificate for a car accident?
If you’ve been in a car accident that has injured somebody, or someone else involved holds you responsible for the accident, then they have the right to request your insurance details.
When you report a car accident to police you’ll need to produce your certificate of insurance. If you don’t have this with you when reporting it, however, then you can instead take the certificate, within seven days of the accident, to the police station you nominate when first reporting the incident.
What if I’m in a car accident that nobody else saw?
Let’s say you hit a parked car on or near the road with your own vehicle and nobody was around to witness what happened. You’ll still be legally obliged to follow a similar procedure to what has been mentioned earlier.
If you can’t leave your details to the affected vehicle’s owner in person, then write down your details and leave them on the windscreen.
What if I’m unsure who was responsible for the accident?
It’s best to avoid saying sorry or accepting responsibility for a car accident until you know precisely what has occurred. To put it simply, your words could come back to harm you later on.
What other information could I collect?
If you have the time and convenience, there is other information besides the bare essentials you can gather from the scene of your car accident. The more evidence you have, the more chance you have of getting a fair resolution when the accident is investigated later on in time.
Here, therefore, are some other details worth trying to collect just after a car accident:
• The make and model of each vehicle involved in the accident plus the colour of them.
• The time and date of the crash
• A description of the weather conditions at the time of the accident. Also, any details you can give about the quality of the road or lighting if either are unusual.
• A list of damage to vehicles involved in the accident, as well as any injuries to drivers, passengers or pedestrians.
• Photographic evidence of the car accident and the damage on your own vehicle. A mobile phone camera will probably take pictures that are good enough to help you recall any important details.
• The names of any witnesses or police officers at the scene of the accident.
I’ve been in a car accident, but I didn't hit another car. Do I still need to stop?
For most of this guides we’ve been addressing a hypothetical situation where you’ve been in a car accident with one or several other vehicles. To clarify, you’ll still be obliged to stop, contact the police and exchange relevant details if you’re in a car accident with no other vehicle but any of the following things happen:
• A person, other than yourself, has been injured.
• Damage is caused to somebody’s property – such as a sign, street lamp or bollard.
• An animal that wasn’t in your own vehicle or trailer has been killed or injured. For this particular matter an ‘animal’ is defined as any dog, horse, cattle, pig, goat, sheep, donkey or mule.