You’re out for a Sunday drive. Windows down. Breathing in the crisp fall air. Soaking up the sun’s rays. You arrive at a four-way stop. As always, you come to a complete stop, look left, right and left again. You ease off the break and start rolling forward. CRASH! A massive SUV clips the rear of your sedan sending you off the road in a tailspin. You finally stop, take a deep breath and think to yourself, “My first car accident! I don’t know what to do in a car accident. What now?!”
Before you get behind the wheel, you need to be prepared for the unexpected. Motor vehicle accidents happen every moment of every day. Are you up on car accident law and car accident insurance claims? Do you know what to do if someone is injured? If you’ve never been in one, you probably don’t know what to do after a car accident. Here are the top five Dos and Don’ts.
What to Do After an Auto Accident (and What Not to Do Too!)
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1 |
Do Don’t |
Survey the situation, and call 911 if anyone is injured. Don’t panic. |
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2 |
Do Don’t |
Contact the police and have them fill out a report. Don’t share personal info or insurance info with anyone but the police officer. |
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3 |
Do Don’t |
Get witnesses and leave the cars where they are. Don’t leave the scene of the accident. |
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4 |
Do Don’t |
Limit discussion of the accident to only police officers or your insurance agent. Don’t discuss fault or liability at the scene. |
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5 |
Do Don’t |
Report both major and minor motor vehicle accidents to your insurance agent. Don’t forget to review insurance coverage, next steps and auto accidents claims. |
What Can You Do Before an Auto Accident? Prepare!
Now that you know what to do, car accident preparation should be your next step. Keep up-to-date insurance papers, a pen, paper in your car at all times. For the ultimate in preparation, get your hands on a nifty auto accident report folder. Contact our agency for your Auto Accident Report Folder. You can never be too prepared.