What to do after a car accident
Be prepared
Unfortunately, most motorists will have to deal with being in a car accident at some time in their driving career.
It's a high-stress situation, but it'l be easier to navigate if you're calm, prepared and know what do and how to notify your car insurance.
Key points
- Always stop at the scene of an accident
- Exchange contact and insurance details with others who were involved
- Record as many details from the scene as you can - it’ll help with your insurance claim
Don’t fail to stop
It’s extremely important that you stop to exchange contact and car insurance details if you have an accident.
Unless it’s unsafe to do so, you must stop if:
- Someone is injured, or property gets damaged
- You kill or injure certain animals including farm animals and dogs
- You cause damage to street signs or bollards, even if a vehicle isn’t involved
If you don’t, you’ll be committing a criminal offence.
You must report the incident to the police as soon as you can, but it must be within 24 hours.
If you fail to stop or fail to report an incident, you could be fined, given penalty points or a driving ban, or even sentenced to six months in prison.
You should also call the police if you’re blocking the road.
Don’t apologise when you stop - your insurance policy could say that you can’t admit any liability at the scene.
It could affect a claim that you make if you do.
Check for injuries
Once you’ve stopped, the first thing to do is check whether you or anyone else is injured and get them the medical attention they need.
Call an ambulance immediately if anyone is hurt - you’ll also need to call the police if anyone is injured.
Make sure you write down all the details you need after a collision - print out our handy Traffic accident record to keep in your car
Exchange details
Legally, there are certain details you must give at the scene of an accident.
If that’s not possible, give them to the police within 24 hours.
You need to share:
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Your name and address with everyone involved - by law, you must do this if anything’s been damaged or if anyone’s been injured
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Your insurance details (that’s who you’re insured with and your policy number) with other drivers
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Your certificate of insurance - if anyone has been injured and someone at the scene has reasonable grounds to see it
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Your contact details
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Your driving licence number