No one wants to be involved in unfortunate incidents while driving, but should it happen to you, it’s good to know what to do after a car accident.
Even if the accident seems minor, it’s important to follow these 5 steps in order to make things as simple as possible when it comes time for car insurance claims and repairs.
- Make sure everyone is ok. If someone needs urgent medical help, or the accident has created a hazardous environment for others, call 000 right away. If someone is injured in a less serious way, or the property of a third party who isn’t around when the accident happened is damaged, you need to let local police know via their non-urgent lines. Once everyone has been looked after, safely move the cars involved off the road to prevent further injury.
- Exchange contact details with the other people involved. You’ll need to swap your names, licence and registration numbers and insurance details. If someone is unwilling to cooperate with you on this, take note of their license plate number, or take a photo on your phone. Also take contact details from anyone who witnessed the accident.
- Take pictures of the scene, the vehicles involved and their number plates, and any specific damage to your car or anyone else’s car or property. It can all be helpful later on.
- Phone your insurer to let them know what’s happened. They'll talk you through what’s next and help you figure out what’s the best course of action, depending on the amount of damage and the type of car insurance cover you have.
- For your protection, it’s best not to admit fault or discuss who is at fault with others involved. Just follow the advice above and let us take care of the rest.
At Youi, it goes without saying that we want you to stay safe out there, but if you need us we’re just a phone call away on 13 9684.
