images_crash1.pngBy law, what should you do if you’re involved in an accident?

You must STOP at the scene

If someone is injured, telephone for an ambulance and the police, giving an accurate location.

You must call the police if…

…no one is injured but the road is blocked, or you need assistance.

…An animal in another vehicle or running across the road is injured.

…Another vehicle or someone else’s property is damaged,

…a bollard, street lamp or other item of street furniture is damaged.

You must give your own and the vehicle owner’s name and address. You must also provide your insurance details. Be prepared to provide this information to anyone who has reasonable grounds for asking.

If you do not give your name and address at the time to any person who has reasonable grounds to ask, you must report the accident to the police as soon as practicable, and in any case, within 24 hours. Remember to take your driving documents with you.

It’s peculiar, but if you hit a horse, cattle, ass, mule, sheep, pig, goat or dog you must report it. Reporting any other animal is at your discretion, but do make sure it’s not injured or suffering.

Don’t admit fault. Apportioning blame for an accident is for others to decide, given the full set of circumstances.

While you are at the scene gather information. Everyone’s memory can play tricks on them, so the sooner you do this the better. You need to build a complete picture of the incident.

  • Identify your vehicle location and direction
  • Write down a description of the accident as you remember it happening
  • Take photographs of the scene
  • A sketch plan drawn at the time of the accident can be invaluable and can save many words
  • Vehicle registration numbers and insurance policy details are vital
  • Identify witnesses and record their contact details. A business card or mobile number may really help your case as witnesses do drift away. Sometimes people will offer help at the scene but will not be interested in helping further. Help us to help you by obtaining as much information as possible.

What will the police do for you?
Any non-injury collisions may not be recorded by the police and you will be advised if this is the case.

Any collision that needs to be recorded will be allocated to a police officer, who will investigate the circumstances, check all documents and complete a written record.

Therefore all the information is available to you should you require it.

Will the police prosecute in every case?
The police will investigate and record details of any collisions where there is clear evidence of unacceptable driver behaviour or other offences in relation to the use of the vehicle.

Guidelines are agreed with the Crown Prosecution Service as to when a prosecution is brought. This means not every case will involve full investigation or prosecution.

What if the other driver is uninsured?
Compensation for damage and injury caused by an uninsured driver, or injury caused by an unidentified driver may be available from the Motor Insurers’ Bureau. You will receive the specialist advice required.

Comments

  1. brian parkinson Says:
    July 9th, 2009 at 1:40 pm

    i have had non-fault accidents where the third party has not volunteered to pay my excess and has had to be pursued through my legal cover. would yourkey do the same to recover excess?

    Thank you Brian,
    The policy covers the legal costs after accidents involving injury. Where there is no injury we will help you with the process, which is not difficult if you know what you are doing. If we arrange repair or hire then we will include your losses as part of that process. For that reason it makes sense to allow us to handle these aspects.
    We come across a number of cases where the party at fault agrees to pay, but thinks again once they get the bill. It is also the case that from your point of view the amounts you are entitled to recover in law are disappointing. You are only entitled to the value of items at the time, not new for old. So it often seems helpful to deal with losses without any formal steps or insurance company involvement, but it is not always straightforward.
    Call YourKey after any accident and let us use our experience to help you.
    Your Key team

  2. Brian Says:
    August 24th, 2010 at 1:32 pm

    Query - If I have an accident on my Motorbike, I am obliged to exchange Insurance
    details with the Other Involved Party.
    If I contact YourKey first (because I don\’t think it was my fault) and not my
    Insurer; then subsequently the Other Party contacts my Insurer via his Insurer
    (perhaps because he does not accept responsibilty) …………… then this would
    be the first time my Insurer had heard about my accident. What would be the
    consequences of this situation fo my relationship with my Insurer?

  3. Your Key team Says:
    August 24th, 2010 at 1:50 pm

    Dear Brian,
    Most insurance companies insist you let them know that an accident has occurred. That is right and proper, but you do not have to contact them first. We ask you to contact us first to see if we can help. The commission we earn from the services we provide allow us to keep giving you free legal cover. We will contact your insurance company for you, or you can do it yourself, but all we ask is that we are the first call.
    One little known benefit is that you have control. A good example came up recently when a member was knocked off his bike by a car pulling out from a minor road. It was obviously the car driver’s fault. Our man called his own insurance company first and as he had comprehensive insurance They sent a man to assess the motorcycle and decided it was a write off. The insurer decided to scrap the bike without telling its owner or agreeing its value. This was only stopped because someone at the motorcycle dealer where the bike was stored called the customer to ask if the bike could be released. Our member accepts the machine is an insurance write off, but because it is an old Triumph, and was his Dad’s bike, he is going to have a crack at repairing it himself.
    Our recommendation in this case is not to ask your own insurer to deal with a claim, we say let us go direct to the insurer of the person at fault. That avoids making a claim on your own policy, it means your insurance record is not damaged, and gives you a say in how the vehicle is handled. If you claim on your own policy it is a claim from a no-claims point of view, regardless of who is to blame for the accident.
    The lesson here is that your own insurer will put a process in place based on keeping cost to a minimum. They will select the repairer or deal with scrappage. We suggest you call us first, get to know the score, and take control.

    There is more on this subject at http://www.yourkey.info/category/insurance-advice

    Let us know if you need more help.

  4. Lynda Says:
    August 13th, 2011 at 12:21 pm

    Hi Mark,
    Thanks for getting back to me. I had no idea that I was already a member! The cards for my key rings would be great thanks. I believe I was quoted around £30 from my motobike insurer and similar for my car as I recall. The service you offer saves people a lot of money and most people are not aware of it which is a shame.

    Kind Regards
    Lynda

  5. Mark Thompson Says:
    August 13th, 2011 at 12:37 pm

    Dear Lynda,
    Your Key used to work with a number of insurance outfits providing insurance quotes. We provided the free legal cover offered in return for taking a quote. The list included Tesco, Insurancewide, Admiral, Bell, Swiftcover, Diamond, Elephant and Gladiator. Quotes for these outfits were provided by http://www.thebikeinsurer.co.uk.
    We no longer offer Your Key with those quotes, but if you already have Your Key membership through one of these routes the membership remains in place as we do not require renewal.
    Thanks for letting us know how much you were quoted for legal cover. £30 looks about the average figure now and the cost is creeping up.
    Cheers
    Mark


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