Auto accidents are something that can happen at any given time without prior warning. This is why it is important to be prepared for such an incident before it happens. But the first thing that you need to do is remain calm. There is nothing to be gained out of losing control of your mind when you are in such a tense situation.
As soon as the incident occurs, check to see if anyone is hurt. Call emergency services immediately. There is a golden hour after an accident during which the fate of a person can be decided and you need to act fast in order to ensure that nothing adverse happens.
After checking for injuries, the next step should be to ensure that the situation does not take a turn for the worse. If it’s just a simple accident involving a bent fender or a dent, move your car over to the shoulder. But if it’s something much more serious, you will need to keep your vehicle right where it is in order that the police can figure out what happened. In such a case, try to put flares around the car in order to signal to other drivers that there is an impediment on the road. There have been serious pile ups due to the simple fact that someone did not put flares around their car.
And then again, no matter how minor the accident is, ensure that you call the police. If the police do not reach the spot in time, you will have to take matters in to your hands. This will involve sharing certain critical information with the involved parties. This should include names, contact numbers, addresses, policy number, driver’s license number, license number, and also details about the year, make and model of the cars. And do be aware that you must not accept fault to anyone at the scene of the accident, including the police.
All you need to tell the police is that an accident occurred. And you might have to give a few specifics of what exactly happened. This will be the first investigation report which will be used by the auto insurance company to process your claims. If you accept your fault right there, your auto insurance company will have to pay for both parties without an investigation being conducted. And your premium will in turn go up.
The next step is to contact your auto insurance company. Tell them what happened and fix up an appointment. You will need to give them the following details, date and time of the accident, speed of travel, how the incident occurred, name and information of the parties involved, was anyone injured in the accident, what damage was incurred to the cars, and also the police FIR number.
It is important to follow these steps in order to ensure that your auto insurance policy kicks in with the least amount of problem. Apart from the issue of auto insurance claims, there is also one more thing that you can do to ease your experience during an accident.
Keep an accident kit with the following equipment, a disposable camera to capture any important evidence, a pen and paper, a copy of your auto insurance policy, some flares or even glow cones to alert other drivers. also have a torch handy in case the scene of the accident is not well lit.
