Posted by If you are unlucky enough to be involved in a crash caused by someone else or have caused a crash yourself then you are obliged to do certain things depending on what’s happened.
If you are crashed into:
- Stop your car. No matter how bad the crash is, you are legally obliged to stop. Failing to do so is an offence under the Road Traffic Act.
- Where you stop will depend on how bad any damage is, but as a general rule, you should leave your vehicle where it ends up after the crash. If the police become involved, they will find it easier to investigate.
- Obviously, if the crash is minor, you can move your vehicle to a safe place and then deal with your obligations.
- Make sure to use your hazard lights and switch off your engine, particularly if there is significant damage as a fire can easily start under the bonnet with fuel and electrical power present.
- If the vehicle or vehicles involved are in hazardous positions, then try and appoint someone to warn other road users.
- If anyone has been injured in the crash then you must call the police on 999 (and an ambulance too if necessary) as soon as possible. If you are not required to inform the emergency services, then you can deal with the incident yourself, but this does include notifying the police within 24 hours. Failure to do so could result in a fine, penalty points or even disqualification.
- The police should also be called if any vehicle or other object is blocking the road or if you feel there was foul play involved – if you suspect you’re a victim of a ‘crash for cash’ scam, for example, where a driver deliberately causes a crash to make a fraudulent insurance claim.
- A dash cam can help you avoid falling victim to crash for cash scams. If you buy one, then aim to buy the best one that you can afford as the image quality on cheaper models may not be good enough to use as evidence. I use this one because it’s small enough to fit behind the rear view mirror and not clutter my field of view.
- You should look to see if there are any CCTV cameras that might have vital evidence. If you look at the photo above, you’ll notice a CCTV camera pointing straight at the crash.
What details are you obliged to give to others involved?
When you’re involved in a crash you’re obliged to give your name, address and registration number to anyone else involved and also to anyone with “reasonable grounds for requiring them”. You must also give the details of the vehicle keeper if that is not you.
You should also stop and give your details if you crash into something on or near the road even if there aren’t any other people involved. If you hit a parked car, for example, you should leave your details on the windscreen. Some people think it’s ok to leave the scene of a crash like this, but just think how you’d feel if someone did this to you.
You are not legally obliged to give insurance details unless someone has been injured, however, it may well help speed up an insurance claim.
Collecting details after a crash.
You should collect names, addresses and if possible, contact details from any drivers, passengers and independent witnesses.
Ask the other drivers involved for their car insurance details and try to establish whether they are the registered keeper of their vehicle. If they aren’t, find out who is and make a note of their name and address.
Call 999 straightaway if someone leaves the scene of the car crash without giving their details. It is a good idea to take a photograph as soon as possible, before any vehicles get moved, but also because you’ll have a record of the registration numbers of those involved. A mobile phone is perfect for this, but if you don’t have one you could always carry a disposable traditional camera in your glovebox.
More information that you should try to collect.
- The registration numbers of all vehicles involved, plus a note of each vehicle’s colour, make and model.
- The time and date of the crash.
- A sketch showing the positions of the vehicles involved.
- A description of the weather conditions, plus anything unusual you notice about the road quality or lighting.
- A list of damage to vehicles and a description of any injuries sustained by pedestrians, drivers and passengers.
- Photos, Photos, Photos.
Insurance claims.
At your earliest opportunity, you should contact your insurer.
Make sure you tell your insurer about the crash as soon as you can. Failure to do so within the time period set out in your policy may invalidate your policy, leaving you with a big bill to pay.
How long you have to file an insurance claim after a crash varies. Make sure you check the wording of your car insurance policy carefully as these time periods can be anything from two days to two weeks after the crash.
You should always inform your car insurance company about a crash even if you don’t want to make a claim.
Information to provide your insurer about others involved.
If the crash involved another vehicle or vehicles, you will need to provide your insurance company with details of the other driver, or anyone else involved. Try to provide:
- Their name.
- Their address and contact details.
- Their vehicle registration number.
- Their car insurance company details.
- Details of other property damage.
Details of the crash.
You will, of course, need to give your insurance company as much information about the crash as possible. Use sketches to help explain what happened and include any pictures you took at the scene.
Also, provide the contact details of any witnesses who have agreed to support your claim. This will help enormously if there is a dispute about the claim.
What happens next?
If you wish to continue with your claim, your insurance company will let you know what you need to do.
If other people were involved in the crash, your insurance company will contact their insurance companies to resolve any claims.