Road accidents

Don't lose control of the situation - here's our crash checklist.

Do:

Stop immediately. Stay calm, even if people are yelling and screaming at you.
Check that everyone involved in the accident is OK. If anyone is injured, call an ambulance before you do anything else.
Give your name, address and details of your vehicle and insurance company to anyone who has reasonable need to know them. This means they should be given to anyone who is injured, anyone whose vehicle or property is damaged and the owner of any animal injured or killed.
If you are unable to do so at the scene of the accident, then you must give these details to the police, by law, within 24 hours.
Get the name, address, vehicle registration number and insurance details of other drivers involved.
Contact your insurance company as soon as possible and provide a detailed breakdown of everything that happened. This should cover time of day, weather, light, estimated speeds, position of vehicles before and after the accident, what people said and anything else that you think might be relevant. If you can, take photos before anything is moved, or draw a sketch plan as soon as you feel able to do so.

Drive away without stopping as it is a criminal offence.
Admit that it was your fault. You may find later that the other driver was drunk, driving too fast or without lights - in which case you might not be to blame at all. If you do admit responsibility, your words may end up being used against you in court and may affect your insurance claim.
Be swayed if the other driver suggests that calling the police isn't necessary, and/or offers you cash to cover the damage. It might be an offence not to report the accident, and you may find that the damage to your vehicle costs a lot more than the fan of cash being waved under your nose.