What to do at the scene of a car accident

If you are involved in a car accident it is sometimes difficult to think what to do, or to remember what information you need to help you establish who was responsible

Your first priority (if you are able), is to check the condition of your passengers and any other people involved in the accident. The general rule of thumb is that if someone is conscious and not seriously hurt, then they should get out of their vehicle and sit at least 30 metres away from the scene of the accident.

Any seriously injured and unconscious individuals should not be moved. Call the emergency services immediately and try to describe the location of the accident as best you can. If you feel able, try to comfort any individuals who are conscious but unable to move, until the emergency services arrive.

If the car accident was not your fault, it is important to gather other information to help prove your case, in addition to the normal 'name, address and insurance company'. It is possible that a driver may give you false information so it is important that you take down the registration number of their vehicle in case the driver needs to be traced.

What to do after a car accident

First make sure everyone is ok, and call the emergency services if necessary.

If anyone is injured and unconscious, do not attempt to move them, wait for the emergency services

Warn fellow motorists if there is a danger of obstruction, if it is safe to do so

Obtain full details of the vehicles involved i.e. make, model and registration number

Get as much information as possible from the other driver(s) i.e. name, address, phone numbers, insurance company, policy number and driving licence number

Collect the names, addresses and phone numbers of any witnesses to the car accident

If you can do so safely, take photos of the scene - i.e. images of the vehicles from different angles, skid marks etc.

Make notes about what happened and draw a diagram showing the positions of vehicles, direction of travel, road signs etc.

If you have any neck, back or shoulder pain and/or headaches in the days following the accident, you may have suffered a whiplash injury. Injuries of this type are very common, and if the accident was not your fault you may be able to make an injury compensation claim, click here for more information.

If you have been involved in a car accident that was not your fault we can arrange for your car to be repaired at one of our approved repair centres, and provide you with a comparable replacement hire-car whilst your vehicle is off the road.

Because we recover all costs from the at-fault drivers’ insurance company, you will not need to claim on your insurance policy, and so you will keep your no-claims bonus.

Please give us a call us on 0845 6768898 or start your claim enquiry using our online claim form.