Looking back 50 years there were far fewer drivers on the road than there are now, even if we look back 20 years that trend is still the same. Now, we face busier roads with a much higher chance of having an accident. Being involved in an accident is highly stressful and comes with the potential of serious damage being caused to yourself or anyone involved.
As responsible drivers, we should be taking every precaution we can to prevent ourselves or any other road user from having an accident. There are, however, some situations where control is taken from us and a crash is inevitable. Here we discuss the things you need to do after you’ve had an accident.
Stop the Car
No matter the situation, if you are involved in any form accident you need to stop the car. Even if it’s a tiny scrape the law states that you need to stop and assess the situation. You’ll be breaking the law if you don’t.
Check for Casualties
Firstly, check yourself. Are you ok and do you need any medical attention? The main thing to do if make sure you are ok and able to continue with the following steps. If the answer is yes then check for other casualties to see if they need any medical assistance.
Call 911
If you decide with any other party involved that nothing needs to be done and there is no significant damage to any of your vehicles then save time for everyone and go about your day. If, however, the accident is anything more than nothing then you should be dialing 911 and asking for assistance.
The police will come and then have an obligation to file a report within 24 hours of being at the scene, this will help you when filing an insurance claim or if you need need to process a personal injury claim. Police will see everything in an objective way and might gather any information you may have missed.
Gather Evidence
Whilst you are waiting for the police to arrive, gather all the evidence you can regarding your motor accident. You need to inform the police of everything you know, to the best of your ability, so they can accurately assess the situation and what to do next.
If you can take pictures from your cell phone then all advice points towards doing so, photographic evidence will go a long way to prove what happened and the state of the scene after the crash happened. You can even draw a diagram of what happened if you feel that it would be necessary.
Other bits of information to gather would be the make and model of any other vehicles involved and the personal information of the drivers and passengers. This includes all their contact details.
Check Your Vehicle
Once the police have been and it’s time to disperse from the scene then the first thing you need to do is ensure that your car is safe to drive. This is your responsibility and everything should be done to ensure your safety and other road users before setting off again.
Even the smallest of cracks in your windshield could deem your vehicle unsafe to use to take your time making sure everything is ok. There are plenty of roadside assistance companies that will be able to get you on your way if anything does appear to be out of place, getting it fixed straight away will save an awful lot of hassle.
The professionals at https://autoglasscentersusa.com/ explain that if you have a crack in the eye line of the driver, if it’s longer than 3 inches or if it’s penetrated through more than two layers of the shield then it’s going to need to be replaced before setting off again. It’s better to be safe than sorry in these situations, you never want a windshield breaking into the car when you’re driving on the freeway.
Report the Accident
Most insurance policies will state that if you are involved in an accident you must report it to them as soon as possible. You might even find our that you have medical insurance or some sort of medical benefit with your policy, making the next few months a little easier for you. If you don’t report the accident and your insurance company finds out then you run the risk of increasing your premium.
These are the main things to do when you’ve had an accident on the road. The next steps would involve hiring a car accident lawyer if you want to file a personal injury claim, especially if the accident wasn’t your fault. You could end up with a large amount of compensation which can end up being invaluable if you can’t work to pay the bills. The main thing to remember when having an accident is to stay calm, don’t get angry, or overreact in any way. The smoother the process the quicker it’s done.
Interesting related article: “What is Insurance?“