Being involved in a car accident can be a very stressful and frightening experience.

Even if you weren’t physically injured you may be shaken up from the shock of what happened, which is completely normal. Your own personal safety and the safety of the others who were involved in the accident is naturally your priority but once you feel comfortable, you’ll need to start completing certain processes for insurance purposes. For example: 

1. At the scene of the accident, you should exchange contact details such as names, addresses, insurance company details, registration numbers and phone numbers with anyone else who was involved. If possible, you should take someone’s home phone and only take their mobile as a last resort, as a home phone number is less likely to be changed. 
2. You should also ensure that you identify the driver of the other vehicle, as well as knowing who the owner of that vehicle is as it may not be the driver. Ask yourself whether you fully know who insures the other vehicle. This is a vital piece of information that you must find out if you plan to make a road traffic accident claim on your insurance policy. 
3. Make sure you note a description of each vehicle that was involved in the accident. This includes noting down the year that the car was made, the make and model of the car, the colour and specific details of any damage that was sustained to the car. Once again, don’t forget to write down the registration plate. The actual damage sustained is extremely important when making an insurance claim and so noting this detail down as specifically as possible is extremely useful to ensure that you either get as much compensation as deserved or are not taken advantage of. 
4. You should note down the exact location of the collision and all the details as to how it happened. At this stage, it can also be important to take photos of the scene of the accident. You should also take photos of the damage to your car or the other car. As most smartphones have built-in cameras, it can be fairly easy to get high-quality photos. Photographic evidence is extremely useful to highlight what actual damage was done to vehicles and the exact location of where this damage took place, so be proactive and take as many photos as you can. 
5. It is important that you don’t discuss blame at the sight of the accident or in the aftermath as you don’t want to make any admissions which could later be used against you and hurt your case. It is important to be calm and clear when talking to the other parties involved in the crash so that you do not say anything that could jeopardise your claim at a later date, even if it is difficult to stay calm in such a stressful situation. 
6. The police should be informed immediately after an accident has taken place. If there is no obvious sign of injury immediately after the road traffic incident, then the police will not come to the scene. However, you should still report the incident as soon as possible. You may end up having problems with the other driver down the line if they refuse to give your insurance details so this is why you should inform the police about what has happened so they can help. 
7. Last but certainly not least – report the accident to your insurers as soon as possible.

Making Personal Injury Claims

If you have been involved in a road traffic accident that wasn’t your fault, you may be entitled to compensation.

To learn more or to start your claim, get in touch with our expert team on 0800 808 9740 or contact us online.