What to do in the Event of a Car Crash?

None of us cares to dwell on it, but collisions remain a daily reality on British roads, and a driver who knows what the next ten minutes require is worth a great deal at the roadside. The steps are few, and they matter.

Stop

However minor the collision, stopping is not optional: it is an offence under the Road Traffic Act to leave the scene. Switch off the engine, put on the hazard lights, and let the traffic around you understand the situation.

Assess

Take stock before you act. If anyone is hurt or the road is dangerous, call 999 at once; where there is no emergency, the police non-emergency number 101 will serve. Call the police too where something feels wrong. Staged collisions in aid of fraudulent insurance claims are a known evil, and a dashcam is the quiet witness that defeats them.

Exchange details

Where no one is in immediate danger, exchange names, addresses and contact details with the other driver, and note the vehicles and their registrations; photographs cost nothing and prove much. Where anyone has been injured, or details could not be exchanged, report the collision to the police within twenty four hours, and tell your insurer promptly in any event.

Taking it further

If the accident was not your fault and you were injured, a specialist personal injury solicitor can help you recover the compensation your circumstances deserve, from the injury itself to the earnings and expenses that flowed from it.

About the author: Dr Aamir Nawaz, LLB (Hons), LLM, PhD, Solicitor, Barrister (np) and Notary Public.