As we discussed in a previous blog post, few things are more stressful than your teen learning how to drive. You worry. Will he or she follow the rules? Will he or she ignore the text message notification sound? Will he or she get into a car accident? Unfortunately, many teens do get into accidents, and if you remember when you first started driving, you had a few close calls, too. It’s part of learning to drive. Ultimate Auto Repair offers the following tips for what to do immediately following a car accident.
Keep Calm and Call for Help
Rule number one: Stay calm. Immediately turn on your vehicle’s hazard lights to alert oncoming traffic there’s been an automobile accident. Remain calm and check your passengers and you for injuries. Injured persons or not, call the police immediately. They need to be at the scene to keep people’s tempers in check and to report the incident. Your insurance company will want a police report. If there are injuries or you fear the vehicles might catch on fire, call 9-1-1 for emergency services. Don’t take chances. It’s best to have emergency vehicles there just in case.
Move Vehicles and Get Information
Move your vehicle to safety ONLY if it’s safe to do so. If you cannot move the vehicle, leave it there. ONLY exit your vehicle if it’s safe to do so. Once it is, if you have emergency triangles or flares, carefully place them around the accident scene. Check to make sure the other driver and his or her passengers are okay, and then document the accident for your insurance company (and your protection). You’ll need to take pictures and/or video, and get the contact information for the other driver(s), his or her passengers, and anyone who may have witnessed the incident.
The insurance company also needs vehicle information. In other words, take down the other vehicle/driver’s
- Year, make, and model of the automobile
- License plate number
- Registration number
- Driver’s license number/expiration
- Insurance policy number
- Insurance company contact information
If the other driver is hesitant to give you this information, alert the police and make note of it. Usually, this means he or she is driving drunk, without a license, or without registration.
Finally, report the accident to your insurance company and call Ultimate Auto Repair in Jackson, MI, after the body work is done. We will inspect your vehicle for engine damage and fix it.
