No one wants to be in a car accident and most of us drive in a way that would prevent us from ever being in an accident. But, unfortunately, no matter what you do, there are other drivers on the road that aren’t as cautious as you are. The likelihood of you being involved in an accident, regardless of fault, is a high statistic (especially here in South Africa).
Hopefully, should you ever be in a motor vehicle accident, there are no terrible injuries. But, in the event of an accident, here are the steps to take after the fact.
Take a deep breath
You need to breathe and keep yourself calm. If it’s just a fender-bender and you’re not at fault, it’s going to be extremely frustrating because it could have been easily prevented (in most cases). But you need to realise it’s already happened and there’s nothing you can do to take it back, so it’s time to deal with it.
If the accident was slightly more severe, when you’re taking your deep breath, try to feel if you’re experiencing any pain anywhere and slowly make sure you can move all your limbs. Then, with your next breath, you need to ask around the car if all your passengers are okay. Don’t be quick to get out of the car and if anyone is experiencing any pain, and is still in a comfortable enough position, leave them inside the car and wait for a response team to check them out.
Stay on scene
Your next task is to get out of the car but remain where you are: on the scene. Quickly take photos of the scene as it is before anyone starts moving. Make sure the other party involved also stays on scene. Be sure to get pictures of their vehicle registration as well, in case they take the opportunity to drive off.
Before you move the vehicles off the road and out of the way, check on the other people involved and make sure that they too are okay. If anyone is seriously injured, you must call for an ambulance right away. Once everyone involved gives a thumbs up for no serious injuries, take your documented scene and move over to try and keep traffic flowing.
Call police
Now it’s time to call the police. If there has been significant damage to property or people, the police need to be notified. In either case, you will need to visit the nearest police station and file a formal report about the whole ordeal and receive a case number. And this has to happen within 24-hours of the accident.
Ask for information
While you’re waiting for authorities to arrive on scene (if it’s called for that they need to be there – otherwise you’re only required to file a report afterwards), you need to ask the other people involved for their information.
Name, contact details, driver’s licence, licence plate number and insurance information of the other driver(s) as well of the passengers.
Document the details
Before you’re okayed to leave the scene and go about the admin after an accident, make sure you have all the photos you need of the original scene (if on the road), the moved scene, the damage to your vehicle from all angles and the corresponding damage from the other vehicle(s) involved.
Take note of exactly where the accident has taken place, at what time it occurred and make notes about how it all happened so that you don’t forget. All of this information will come in handy when you approach your insurance company and look to file a claim. It will also prove valuable in the case file opened by the police in the event an investigation needs to be conducted.
Call your insurance company
And now, when the scene has been cleared, you can call your insurance company and let them know what has happened. You will need to describe everything in as much detail as possible (it’s a good thing you documented all the details while on scene).
You need to be prepared for a variety of questions from your insurer as they will seemingly hold you responsible (even if you aren’t) just to get down to the truth of the situation and make sure they cover all their bases as well. You need to have patience and make sure you’re as honest as possible about the events if you need to claim from your insurer.
Fix it up
Your final step is to fix your car up after all the damage has been documented and reported to the insurance company. If there’s hardly enough damage to warrant you claiming from your insurance, then you can try some DIY fixer-upper recipes. But if your vehicle is badly damaged and been written off, you’re going to need to look for another car. Don’t worry, you will be able to find a used Audi vehicle that looks and feels just like your previous one. And if your insurance pays out for your previous car, you can use that as a down payment for the new one.