A Guide of What To Do In a Car Accident

Sometimes it doesn’t matter how careful you are, car accidents do happen. Whether it’s your fault, other drivers, or a pedestrian, it's important to know what to do. Car accidents are very scary and can be life-threatening, so it's important to do what you can to prevent them. However, if you are unfortunate enough to be involved in a car accident, it's good to know what to do. This guide will explain the 5 steps to take if you’re involved in a car accident.

Stop the car

Failing to stop the car after an accident is an offence under the Road Traffic Act. It doesn’t matter how minor you think the accident was, you must stop the car, turn off your engine and turn on your hazard lights.

Call the emergency services

The second thing you need to do is look around and see if you need to call someone. If the accident was minor, you may not need to call. Below aresome instances where you will need to call emergency services:

• If someone is seriously injured, you should call an ambulance straight away.
• You should call the police if the road is blocked.
• You should call the police if you suspect you’re a victim of a ‘crash for cash’ scam.
• You should call the police if you believe someone caused the accident on purpose.
• You should call the police if you believe the other driver is under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
• You should call the police if it was a hit and run.

Give your details

Whether you caused the accident or not, you’re obliged to give your name and address to anyone involved in the accident. If you hit a parked car with no one in it, you still need to write down your detail and leave it on the window screen. If you leave the scene without doing so, you are committing a criminal offence.

Do not apologise or admit blame until you know precisely what has happened as this could affect any claim you make. Make sure that you report the accident to the police within 24 hours. Not doing this could result in points, a fine, or even disqualification!

Collect your evidence

If you’re able to do so, it is time to collect all your details and evidence so you can make car accident claims Manchester. Firstly, you should get the details of any drivers involved in the accident (name, address, car colour/make/model, vehicle registration). If you have a phone or camera with you, take photos/videos of the accident, your surroundings and the cars involved. Talk to any witnesses and note down their details. Lastly, note down any details of the accident you remember, including the conditions of the roads, and weather (e.g., wet, muddy, etc.). The smallest details can make a big difference when making a claim.

Contact your insurer and make a claim

Even though you do not need to claim through your insurance company, you should notify your insurer of your accident for ‘information purposes only’. This is a requirement of your policy. From here you can decide how you would like to proceed, whether you would like to claim with an accident management company Manchester or your insurance company.

Claim Link UK is an accident management firm in Manchester, with years of success in helping clients reclaim what is rightfully theirs. If you would like to get in touch with Claim Link UK today, fill out their short form and someone will be in touch within 20 minutes. Alternatively, you can use the details below.