Accidents happen, it’s just part of life and the more you drive the higher the chances are of you becoming involved in a road traffic accident, even through no fault of our own, unfortunately, the worse can still happen.
So if you were to be involved in a traffic road accident, what should you do, who should you call, and what details do you need to give and receive from the other parties involved.
Read on and all will be explained
There are around 45 deaths a day in the UK caused by road traffic accidents, that’s around 1 death every 20mins
And this doesn’t include the hundreds of less serious accidents where it’s only vehicle damage.
Statistically, young drivers aged 17 have the highest rate of accidents with 85% of all serious injury road accidents caused by drivers aged under 25.
The safest drivers or those that have the least accidents are aged 60-69 years of age.
So if the unfortunate happens what should you do?
- Stop the car – failure to stop if involved in an RTA is a criminal offence
- Switch off your engine and put on your hazard warning lights
- Check yourself and your passengers for injuries – Call an ambulance if need be
- Make sure it’s safe before getting out of your vehicle
- If other vehicles are involved, make sure it’s safe before checking on them
- If there are injuries then the police should be called by dialling 999
- If it’s a minor incident, exchange your details with the other driver. You want their name, address, contact number and if they have it, their insurance details.
- Take note of the other vehicle’s registration, make, model and colour
- If you can take photos of any damage to both vehicles as evidence in case of a dispute
- It can be helpful to take details of any witnesses that seen the accident occur.
- Contact your insurer and report the incident to the police using 101
If you are involved in an accident you must stop and exchange details with any other vehicles involved, make sure you take photos of any damage caused to the other vehicle and take details of any witnesses to the accident.
Avoid accepting blame for the accident or saying sorry until you know exactly what happened. If you hit a parked vehicle and there is no one around, you should still leave your details on a note and place the note on the windscreen of the damaged car, use the windscreen wipers to secure the note.
If your car is too damaged to drive away from an accident your insurance company may be able to arrange collection of the car, alternatively your breakdown cover may also cover this service but be aware there may be an extra charge for collecting your vehicle this way.
Better safe than sorry
The easiest way to avoid disputes in the event of an accident is to get yourself a good quality dashcam, this can save a lot of hassle and can even save you money on your car insurance with certain companies as it makes their decision making in the event of a dispute easier to resolve.
So whats the biggest cause for car accidents in the UK?
The single biggest cause of fatal car accidents is distracted driving. This is especially true for drivers between 17 and 20 years old. Distractions come in many forms: looking at others in the car, playing with the radio, reaching for something on the floor, or answering a phone call or text message.
