Getting into a car accident can happen to anyone, no matter how safe of a driver they are. While you may a good, law-abiding driver, other drivers may be more careless or inexperienced than you. The weather might also be bad, making the streets a dangerous place to be.
Accidents can cause a lot of stress and anxiety, not to mention the expense, especially if you are uninsured. However, as difficult as it may be at the time, we would advise you to remain calm and follow our tips:
What to Do at an Accident Scene
- If the damage to your car isn’t extensive, and it’s safe to do so, ensure all vehicles are moved from the roadway promptly after you take photos of the accident scene for insurance purposes. Then, activate your hazard lights to alert other road users.
- Once it’s out of the way, leave your vehicle and move away from the roadway, being sure to be vigilant of everyone’s safety at all times.
- Check to see if anyone at the scene is injured. If people do need medical assistance, call emergency services immediately. If property has been damaged, or the other party didn’t stop after the accident or is refusing to give you their personal details; you should also call the police.
- Stay at the scene of the accident until emergency services, and the police arrive.
What Information Does Your Insurer Need?
After you’ve called emergency services, it’s time to phone your insurer. Before you do though, be sure to collect the following information:
- The other driver’s name, contact details, licence number, and insurance details.
- The details of your car.
- Registration, model, make, and colour of the other vehicle(s) involved.
- A summary of the accident, including where, when, and how it happened. It’s important to provide as much detail as possible because this will help the claims process.
Call A Towing Service
After you, your passengers, and anyone else involved in the accident is safe, or in the hands of emergency services, it’s time to give a towing service a call. United Tilt Tray Services offers 24/7 roadside assistance when you need it most. Once you call us, we’ll dispatch a vehicle to the accident scene immediately to relocate your car.
And, if you need help or have questions around the procedures of submitting a police report and lodging an insurance claim, our office staff are happy to assist.
What Not to Do
Now that you know what to do if you’re involved in a car accident, we need to cover what you shouldn’t do. The scenarios laid out below are not only unhelpful to the situation, but some of them are considered a criminal offence.
Some of the most important things not to do when you get into a car accident include:
- Arguing – We understand that if a collision isn’t your fault, you might feel anger towards the other driver. However, arguing and fighting with them doesn’t help the situation. If anything, it just prolongs the process of getting emergency services and insurance companies involved.
- Panicking – It’s best to try and keep a level head so that you can think as clearly as possible. Being as calm as you can helps when assisting injured persons as well as when explaining what’s happened to insurance companies and the relevant authorities.
- Driving Off – Leaving the scene of an accident without checking for damage or injuries can be considered a hit and run. So even if the accident is not your fault, you should always stop and follow the process we laid out above.
- Admitting Fault – When involved in an accident, it’s easy to admit fault, even if you didn’t cause the collision. We advise against doing this because this is something that your insurance company will need to figure out after assessing the situation, the details you provide, and the damage to your car. Admitting fault when you aren’t the cause of a collision can mean you voiding your insurance claim, leaving you with a damaged car and no means of fixing it without paying for the repairs out-of-pocket.
Reach Out to United Tilt Tray Service
United Tilt Tray Service has been providing Perth residents and those in surrounding areas with emergency roadside assistance since 2011. With that in mind, it’s safe to say that we’re specialist providers of advice and help around what to do when you’re involved in a car accident.
Contact us today at our emergency towing number – (08) 9204 4141 – and we’ll be there to help you, no matter what time of the day or night it is.