When you are involved in a road accident, the world suddenly becomes an unfamiliar place. Your mind starts racing: “What happened?”, “Did I get hurt?”, “Has anyone else been hurt?”, “What should I do first?”, “How can I make sure my motor vehicle, passengers and anyone else involved in the accident are safe?”.
There will be a host of tow trucks arriving, all wanting to tow your motor vehicle. Worse still, you could find a police officer advising or insisting that you choose a particular tow operator to clear the accident scene. Shaken up and bombarded by demands from all sides, you lose your ability to think clearly.
• Stop immediately and stay calm. DO NOT admit or accept liability for the accident (e.g. saying “I’m sorry the accident was my fault”).
• If your motor vehicle CANNOT BE DRIVEN, call the help-desk immediately and let the operator take charge of the situation.
• Do not allow any unauthorized towing operator to call you insurer on your behalf.
• Only allow your motor vehicle to be towed by an approved towing operator arranged by the help-desk.
• Help anyone who may be injured. If there are injuries DO NOT move the motor vehicles involved until the police arrive.
• Record details of the accident:
– time and place
– descriptions/registrations of other motor vehicles involved
– details of other driver(s) (names, addresses, phone numbers, ID numbers)
– details of witnesses
– name and station of any police or traffic officer present.
• If possible, take pictures of the accident scene as well as of the other motor vehicles involved.
• Inform the police of the accident within 24 hours and remember to note your case number.
• If your motor vehicle CAN BE DRIVEN, report the incident to your broker noting the full details of the accident.
For more advice, please do not hesitate to contact us.