If you ’ re in a road traffic accident, remember :
Stop. Pull over, turn off the engine and turn on your gamble lights. This is the bolshevik triangle in the middle of the splashboard.
Check for any injuries to yourself or any passengers. Make certain it ’ randomness dependable to leave the car before doing therefore .
Check for any injuries to anyone else involved. Make a note of these. You should besides make a note even if everyone ’ s OK .
Dial 999 if anyone is injured or the road is blocked. You should besides call 999 if you believe that the crash was deliberate, or if you think drugs or alcohol were involved .
Move all passengers aside from the car, unless they are hurt and ineffective to be moved .
Exchange details with anyone else involved. This includes names, addresses and vehicle registrations .
Don’t say sorry. You shouldn ’ thymine admit blame if you ’ ra not sure what happened. Although you ’ re not legally accepting responsibility by apologising, the other party could try to use it against you at a belated date .
Concentrate on making surely you and your passengers are safe, calling the authorities if needed, and exchanging details .
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Why is it important to report accidents?
If you don ’ metric ton report an accident, person could claim against you late .
For exercise, say you bumped into person ’ south parked car and drove away. At the clock time there might not be anyone around, but you may have been caught on CCTV or person might have seen you .
It ’ south besides a legal prerequisite to stop after an accident, no matter how minor it is. You can find more information on this in the Road Traffic Act .
Driving off after something like this can have far greater repercussions than if you stop, leave your details and report it to the patrol .
so if you haven ’ thymine spoken to the driver of the vehicle, you need to leave your details and report it to the police .
If you don ’ t, you could face a finely, points on your license or a driving banish .
Do I need to report minor bumps and scrapes?
As mentioned above, if you cause any damage to person ’ s vehicle or property, no topic how minor, you should stop .
If the other person is at the scene, give your identify, address and vehicle registration .
You don ’ t need to leave your policy details unless person is injured, but it can speed up the claims summons if you do .
If you didn ’ deoxythymidine monophosphate exchange details at the scene, you should report the accident to the police within 24 hours .
If you hit a parked car or person ’ second place and you can ’ thyroxine locate the owner, you should leave a note with your details .
You ’ ll besides need to report this by dialling 101 – the patrol non-emergency number – within 24 hours .
Should I call 999?
If there ’ s an injury or the road ’ randomness blocked, call 999 immediately .
besides, call the patrol on 999 if the other road drug user drives away or you suspect that they crashed into you intentionally .
Crash-for-cash scams are inactive happening across the UK, with criminals intentionally crashing their cars for an policy pay-out.
If you think the early driver doesn ’ triiodothyronine have insurance, or if you think they ’ re under the influence of drugs or alcohol, you should besides call 999 .
What details should I provide?
If anyone involved in the accident is injured, you must give your indemnity details, including your list, address and the vehicle ’ sulfur registration. You must show them your indemnity certificate if they ask for it .
even if no one is injured you could exchange insurance details as it might help to speed up the claims process .
It ’ second worth getting their details, excessively, as you may have an injury that you weren ’ t mindful of at the time of the crash .
If you ’ re not the vehicle ’ second owner, you should give the car owner ’ mho details .
Do I need to report the accident to my car insurance company?
You should report the accident to your car indemnity supplier even if you ’ ra not planning to make a claim .
This is because the other driver might decide to make a claim without you knowing .
You should call them as soon after the accident as potential .
They ’ ll probably ask for :
- The registration numbers of the cars involved.
- The other driver’s name, address and phone number.
- The other driver’s insurance details, if you have them.
You could besides mention if you have any dash cam footage of the accident at this point besides .
Will reporting an accident increase my car insurance cost?
different factors affect the cost of car insurance .
If you were deemed to be at fault in the accident, you might see your premiums rise. This is because insurers see you as bad .
But sometimes even if an accident international relations and security network ’ t your fault, you might see your premiums rise .
You shouldn ’ t let a likely rise in premiums stop you from reporting an accident, though .
If you don ’ t tell your insurance company about one but they find out subsequently, it could invalidate your insurance – and you might even find it difficult to get another policy .
Remember, even if you don ’ t make a claim, an accident needs to be disclosed when you buy indemnity in the future .
Can I report accidents online?
Some police forces will allow you to report accidents online. For example, the Metropolitan Police have a ‘ report card a road dealings incident ’ joyride .
You can check your local push ’ s web site to see if they offer this .
But if it ’ s an emergency – for exercise, if person is injured or a car is blocking the road – you should always call 999 .
Should I take details at the scene?
It ’ mho authoritative to take notes at the time of the accident. The more detail you can provide, the better. This will help policy companies and the police when it comes to working out who ’ mho liable .
You could make a note of the stick to :
- The weather and traffic conditions.
- Any road markings or signs.
- What happened in the accident – you could even include sketches.
- The vehicle type, colour, make, model and registration.
- An estimate of the speed the other vehicle was travelling at and in what direction.
- The other car’s condition.
- The number of passengers in the other vehicle.
- Details about the driver, such as contact information and a description.
- Any witnesses or CCTV cameras.
- Any damage to vehicles or property, as well as any injuries.
In summary
If in doubt, report the accident – both to the patrol and to your insurance company .
Take as many details from the other parties as possible, and remember that any notes you take at the fourth dimension can be useful should there be any legal or policy implications further down the line .