When you first start driving your parents take their time to teach you the proper way to drive safely on the roads. They teach you how to accelerate, brake, turn, park, change lanes, and so much more. By the time you get your driver’s license you should know all about how to safely drive. Sometimes in their effort to teach you all about driving they forget to teach you a few things. One thing that many parents do not teach their kids is what to do if they get in a car accident. Do you know what to do if you are in a car accident?
Check to See if Passengers are Hurt After a Car Accident
The first thing that you want to do is check yourself and any passengers that were in the car to see if they are okay. You will want to call 911 if anyone is hurt. Many times people that are in a car accident are in shock immediately following the accident. If anyone in the car has any back or neck pain you will want them to stay in the car if it is safe until the paramedics arrive. Sometimes moving without medical help causes further injury.
Make Sure Car is Turned Off After Road Accident
Once you have checked on the passengers in your car you will want to safely get out of your vehicle. Before you do this you will want to make sure that your car is no longer moving, your engine is off, and you have put your car in park. If the accident is severe enough you may not be able to do all of those things. After you get out of your car you will want to check on the other vehicle or anyone else involved in the accident.
Who to Call After a Car Accident
After you have checked on everyone you will want to make sure that you stay safe on the road. If you have flares or any other emergency lights in your roadside emergency kit you will want to put them up. Then you will want to call 911. Sometimes people make the mistake of thinking that they do not need to call the police if no one is injured. This is not correct. When you file a claim with your insurance company for the damage caused by the accident many times a police report is needed. Sometimes you may find that the other driver does not want you to call the police. This is a definitely red flag! They could be trying to protect themselves because they are uninsured or under the influence of intoxicants. To protect yourself make sure you call the cops anyways.
Reporting an Accident to the Police
When the police arrive you will want to make sure that you help them get an accurate report of what happened. Giving the police officer the best description of what happened will help them decide who was at fault in the accident. Try and refrain from giving them your opinion of who should be at fault. Just let them do their job!
You will want to document the scene of the accident before you or the other driver leave. This used to be much harder before smartphones were so prevalent in society. Use your phone to take pictures of the accident scene. Your insurance company may need these pictures as they process your claim.
Exchange Information with Other Driver After Car Accident
In addition to getting photos of the accident scene you will want to gather other important information as well. You will want to write down the name of the other driver and any passengers that were in the vehicle; license plate numbers; makes and models of all vehicles involved; contact information for anyone that witnessed the accident; and the location of the accident. You should also exchange insurance information with the other driver. You will also want to file a claim with your insurance. You can do this from the scene of the accident.
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After you have done all of those things you may need the help of NonStop Towing to tow your car safely to the mechanic for repairs. Then you can go home and take it easy and recover from your accident. Contact us for all your towing and roadside needs.
