Regardless of its severity, an accident is usually a stressful experience. This is why you must know what to do ahead of time so that when you are in an accident, you know what to do. Here’s the steps you should take immediately following an accident.
- It’s important not to panic or run away from the scene of the accident. Stay where you are (unless you are injured or unable to move).
- Keep yourself, your passengers, and other drivers safe. If your car is still in working order, put your hazard lights on to communicate caution to other drivers.
- Call the police and/or paramedics if there are injuries. Having police on the scene is helpful because they know proper procedure for exchanging insurance, etc. They can also collect helpful data from witnesses and file an official report. They will also direct traffic so that no other accidents occur.
- While you wait for the police to arrive, make sure you take photos and write down exactly what happened on a memo in your phone. The longer you wait to write down this information, the harder it will be to remember. You want to be as accurate and thorough as possible.
- Once you’ve exchanged insurance information with the other driver and answered all the police’s questions, call a tow truck (if your car isn’t in driving condition). Be sure to have the address of a local mechanic handy to give to the towing company, so that they know ahead of time where to take your car.