In An Accident

If you’re in an accident, remain calm. It sounds easy, but it’s hard to do. Accidents, even fender benders, are stressful. And it gets harder if the other driver is freaked out, enraged or “deranged”.

Seriously, if that’s the case, remain in your vehicle until the situation calms down or the police come. Let the officer know if you feel threatened.

Helping Out: You must assist an injured person in any possible way. Call 911 if there’s an injury. Be careful not to aggravate any injuries. Many people with good intentions have tried to help by moving an accident victim, which actually led to more severe injuries.

Give Info: If you’re involved in the accident, you must remain at the scene of the accident. You are required to give your name, address, driver's license number, insurance policy number and vehicle ownership in writing, if you are asked do so by the other driver, witnesses, or the police. This is the law.

Get Info: An accident draws a lot of people's attention, but witnesses leave quickly. You need to act fast and get names, phone numbers and license plate numbers. You need this information in case you or your insurance company needs to contact these people as witnesses. Collect as much information as possible. Was there clear fault? Are there any witnesses? Draw a sketch. Exchange your information with the other driver. Make sure you see what they write down to assure yourself that their information is correct. Don't let them write it down for you. If they don't have the correct documents, call the police. By law, they have to provide this information. If they try to flee the scene, get their license plate number and call 911.

What To Say To The Police: If the police are notified, think carefully about what you say. The police define the word "accident" as a "caused occurrence". This means that the officer will document evidence at the scene, and determine if a law has been broken. The insurance adjuster will later determine who was at-fault, based on that evidence.

Given the distractions at an accident scene, it is unlikely that everyone’s explanation of the “occurrence” will be complete or even accurate.

Be Careful: Whatever is said will be a major factor in the insurance company's ruling as to who is responsible. The officer has to make a decision as to whether a “highway traffic offence” was committed, and lay charges accordingly. Not being charged doesn’t mean that your insurance company will not find you to be at-fault or partially at-fault.

Saying, "I didn't see the other car," could be misconstrued as careless driving, as opposed to "I didn't see the other car until it was too late." A conviction of careless driving can cause your insurance rates to increase by $3,000 or more.

From watching television, drivers may think that they have the right to remain silent, but that’s not true when it comes to an accident. You have to report the circumstances of the accident so the Department of Motor Vehicles can look into potential road problems, bad intersections, need for road repairs and so forth.