What to Do After a Car Accident: A UK Step-by-Step Guide

Summary

• Stop Immediately: It is a legal requirement to stop after any accident. Switch on hazard lights and ensure the scene is safe.
• Check for Injuries & Exchange Details: Prioritise checking on all involved. Call 999 if anyone is hurt. Exchange names, addresses, and registration numbers with other drivers.
• Document Everything & Report: Take photos of the scene and damage. Report the incident to your insurer as soon as possible, even if you do not intend to claim.

A car accident is one of those heart-in-your-throat moments. One second, you’re listening to the radio or thinking about dinner; the next, there’s a jolt, a sickening crunch, and the world seems to stop for a second. It’s chaotic, stressful, and confusing.

So, what do you do after a car accident?

Forget the jargon and the complicated legal speak for a moment. Let's walk through this together, step by step, like a friend explaining it over a much-needed cup of coffee. The goal here is simple: to get you through the immediate aftermath and the next few days with your safety, your rights, and your sanity intact.

The First Five Minutes: Your At-the-Scene Survival Guide

Right after the impact, your adrenaline will be pumping. You might feel shaky, angry, or weirdly calm. Whatever you're feeling, the next few actions are crucial.

1. Stop. Just Stop.

This sounds obvious, doesn't it? But you’d be surprised. You are legally required to stop your vehicle if you’re involved in an accident. It doesn’t matter if it was a tiny tap or a major collision. Driving away is a criminal offence – a ‘hit and run’ – and it carries serious penalties.

Pull over if you can, but only if it's safe. Switch off your engine. And then, before you do anything else, flick on your hazard lights. It’s the universal signal for "something's wrong here," and it's your best friend in keeping the scene safe from other drivers.

2. Check on the Humans (and Pets!)

Before you worry about the metal, worry about the people.

• First, you. Are you okay? Any pain? Dizziness?
• Your passengers. Check on everyone in your car.
• Then, others. Carefully check on the people in the other vehicle(s).

If anyone is injured, your next step is simple and non-negotiable: call 999 immediately. Ask for both an ambulance and the police. Don't try to move anyone who is seriously hurt unless they are in immediate danger (like a fire), as you could make their injuries worse.

You should also call 999 if the accident has blocked the road or created a dangerous situation for other traffic.

3. The Golden Rule: Never Say "Sorry"

This feels unnatural, I know. You might be a perfectly polite person. But at the scene of an accident, an apology can be misinterpreted as an admission of fault.

Even a simple "I'm so sorry, I didn't see you" could be used against you by an insurance company later. It’s not about being rude; it’s about letting the facts speak for themselves. The insurance companies have teams of people whose entire job is to figure out who was at fault. Let them do their work. Stick to the facts of what happened.

4. Exchange Information (The Boring but Essential Bit)

You are legally required to exchange some basic details with the other driver(s). If you don't, you must report the accident to the police within 24 hours.

Here’s a handy checklist. Get your phone out and make a new note.

Must-Haves (The Legal Minimum):

• Their full name and address.
• Their vehicle's registration number.

Should-Haves (To Make Your Life Easier):

• Their phone number.
• Their insurance company details (ask to see their certificate if you can).
• The make, model, and colour of their vehicle.
• If the driver isn’t the owner of the car, get the owner's name and address too.

What About Witnesses?

If anyone saw what happened, they are like gold dust for your insurance claim. An independent witness’s account can clear up any disputes in a heartbeat. Politely ask for their name and phone number. Most people are happy to help.

5. Become a Scene Investigator

Your phone is your most powerful tool right now. Use it.

• Take photos of everything. Go wider than you think. Get pictures of the road layout, traffic signs, and any skid marks.
• Document the damage. Take photos of both your car and the other vehicle(s) from different angles. Get close-ups of specific dents and scratches.
• Capture the context. Note the date, time, and exact location. What were the weather conditions like? Was traffic heavy or light?
• Dashcam footage. If you have a dashcam, save the footage immediately. It’s the most impartial witness you’ll ever have.

After You've Left the Scene: The Paperwork Trail

The immediate danger is over. You're home, the kettle's on, but the process isn't finished. Now it's time to report what happened.

Reporting to the Police

Let's clear up a common myth: you don't need to report every minor bump to the police.

You must report the accident to the police within 24 hours if:

• Anyone was injured.
• You couldn't exchange details at the scene (e.g., a hit and run).
• You suspect the other driver committed an offence (like being drunk or uninsured).

For non-emergencies, you can call 101 or often report it online via your local police force's website. They will give you an incident reference number, which is incredibly useful for your insurance claim.

Reporting to Your Insurer

This is the big one. You must tell your insurance company about the accident, even if:

• You don't plan to make a claim.
• The damage is very minor.
• The other driver says, "let's just sort this out between ourselves for cash." (More on this later).

Why? Because it's almost certainly a condition of your policy. If you don’t tell them, and the other driver later decides to make a claim against you (perhaps for an injury that wasn't obvious at the scene), your insurer could refuse to cover you. This would leave you personally liable for thousands of pounds.

Call them as soon as you can – ideally within 24 hours. Just give them the facts you collected at the scene.

Navigating the Insurance Maze: What Happens Next?

Once you’ve reported the incident, your insurer will swing into action. The process can feel a bit like a black box, so here’s a peek inside.

• The Claim: Your insurer will open a claim and assign it a reference number. They will contact the other driver's insurer and use the evidence to determine who was liable.
• The Excess: When you make a claim, you'll usually have to pay an "excess." This is the amount you agreed to contribute towards a claim when you took out the policy. If the accident wasn't your fault, your insurer will aim to recover this cost from the other party's insurer, and you should get it back.
• No Claims Bonus (NCB): Making a claim will likely affect your NCB at renewal, even if the accident wasn't your fault. Having a "protected" NCB doesn't mean your premium won't go up; it just means you won't lose the discount itself. Yes, it's confusing!
• Repairs: Your insurer will either ask you to take your car to one of their approved garages or allow you to choose your own. They will then approve the repair work.
• Courtesy Car: Whether you get a courtesy car depends entirely on your policy. Don't assume you're entitled to one. Check your documents.

What If My Car Is a Write-Off?

If the cost to repair your car is more than its market value, your insurer will declare it an insurance write-off. This sounds dramatic, but it's a simple economic decision.

They will offer you a settlement figure equal to the car's value just before the accident. This is based on its age, mileage, and condition. You can negotiate this figure if you feel it’s too low, but you'll need evidence (like adverts for similar cars) to back up your case.

The car will be assigned a category, like Cat S (structural damage) or Cat N (non-structural damage), and the insurer will usually take possession of the vehicle.

Common Questions You're Probably Thinking

"The other driver wants to pay me cash to avoid insurance. Is this a good idea?"
It might seem tempting, especially for a minor scratch. But it's risky. The damage could be worse than it looks, or they could change their mind and deny everything. Worse, they could later decide they have whiplash and make a personal injury claim against you. If you haven't told your insurer, you're in a very tricky position. Our advice? It's almost always better to go through official channels.

"What if I hit a parked car and the owner isn't there?"
You must still stop. It's an offence to leave without leaving your details. Write a note with your name, address, phone number, and registration, and secure it to their windscreen. It’s also wise to take a photo of the note in place as proof. You should still report it to the police on 101 as well.

"What if I hit an animal?"
The law (Road Traffic Act 1988) requires you to report collisions with certain animals to the police, including dogs, horses, cattle, pigs, goats, sheep, asses, and mules. You don't legally have to report hitting a cat or a wild animal like a deer, but it’s a good idea to inform the police if the animal is obstructing the road and causing a danger.

"I feel fine now, but what if I get whiplash later?"
This is exactly why you should always get checked out by a doctor after an accident, even a minor one. Some injuries take hours or even days to appear. A medical record is vital evidence if you need to make a personal injury claim. In the UK, you generally have three years from the date of the accident to start a claim for an injury.

Your Post-Accident Checklist: The TL;DR Version

Crashes are messy. Let's boil it down.

1. Stop, Hazards On, Engine Off.
2. Check for Injuries. Call 999 if needed.
3. Stay Calm. Don't Say Sorry.
4. Exchange Details: Name, address, registration are a must.
5. Document Everything: Photos, notes, witnesses.
6. Report to Police (within 24hrs) IF: there are injuries or you didn't exchange details.
7. Report to Your Insurer ASAP: Even if you're not claiming.

Getting into a car accident is a horrible experience. But by taking a deep breath and following these logical steps, you can take control of a chaotic situation and make sure you're protected, legally and financially.

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