What to remember when: In a car accident
Nothing can prepare you for a car accident and as cautious of a driver as you might be, bumper bashers happen to the best of us. As a result of shock, trauma and often rage, it is easy to forget what to do in order to claim from your insurance later. Here are a few tips to remember, if you ever find yourself in this pickle.
- Bring your car to a complete stop.
Moeti Mmusi, spokesman for community safety, security and liaison, warns, however, “Please make sure that you are not obstructing traffic.”.
2. Check for injuries.
In this instance, flight rules apply. Are you alone in the car or do you have passengers? First check that you are fine and in the event that you have passengers, after checking on yourself, make sure that they are fine too. Once everyone’s well-being has been accounted for, see to the occupants of the other vehicle.
This is important as it has legal and financial repercussions if you are the guilty party in the accident. Depending on the nature of the offence, you could spend a night in jail or be liable for some medical expenses.
3. Location, location, location.
It is important to note that if the accident happened on the road, you might have to call the traffic law enforcement. If it happens in a residential complex, then the latter is not necessary.
4. Licence please.
Take a deep breath and exchange licence cards. According to Mmusi, should one of the drivers be a learner, ask for the licence of the person they are driving with as well.
“This is with the assumption that they are driving with someone who is qualified, because they should be,” he says.
5. Details please.
Take a picture of the other person’s licence. Make sure their ID and licence number are visible. Get their full names as per their ID book or card, contact numbers and, preferably, a residential address.
Remember to take pictures of their licence disc on the windshield and their vehicle identification number (VIN).
6. A pictures is worth a thousand words.
Amor van Aswegen, a claims negotiator from Laeveld Versekeringsmakelaars (LVM) reminds those in accidents to take pictures of both vehicles.
“Because of the trauma after an accident, you find that people forget certain details when writing out their statements,” she said.
“In that event, the pictures help a lot.”
7. Report the accident.
Report the accident, within 24 hours, to the police station in the area where it took place. You will be required to sketch the accident scene, so make sure to take note of your surroundings.
8. Insurance.
Your insurance will need the case number you will get from the police station as well as the details you collected at the scene. These include pictures of the accident, contact details, names etc.
“Your insurance will then send claim forms that you will have to fill in,” says Van Aswegen. You will be required to do a sketch again, thus remember to attach all your pictures when returning the forms.
