Safety first! Before you start gathering information from the other driver or looking over the damage after a crash, it’s important to get to safety as quickly as possible. If there is no shoulder and/or poor visibility, stay in your car. If you had a minor fender bender, you don’t have to leave the cars where they are in the road. In many cases it is safer for the other drivers to get the involved vehicles out of the main roadway to avoid further accidents and traffic back-ups. Often, the police will not come to file a report on a minor accident. Safely move out of the way of traffic, but if you can’t move your car without causing further damage, don’t try. Your insurance company should be able to hire a tow truck to move it for you.

When talking to another driver after a crash, only inquire about their insurance information and make sure everyone is okay. Saying “I’m sorry” or admitting fault can be used against you in the insurance claims or a lawsuit should they try to sue you.

To process your accident claim insurance companies need information of the involved parties in the accident. This information includes:

• Name
• Address
• Phone Number
• Email Address
• Make, Model and Year of Vehicle
• License Plate Number
• Insurance Carrier
• Insurance Policy Number

Taking some pictures with your phone can help protect you from future legal action and help with the processing of your insurance claim. Some things to take a picture of are the damage to your vehicle, the accident location, and the people involved with the accident.

If a police officer is summoned to the scene, ask them for a copy of the accident report. If both drivers involved in the accident blame one another for causing the accident, an officer’s opinion of the assessment of the accident is useful to settle the dispute. Ask the officer for their name, badge number, phone number, and police report number before they leave.

Call your insurance company after a crash so they can start processing your claim. You can lookup their phone number on the web or it is also printed on your insurance card. They should have 24/7 phone service to answer your call at anytime day or night.

Your insurance company can not tell you which body shop to take your vehicle to be repaired. Most insurance companies have a DRP, or Direct Repair Program with specifically contracted shops. While they will most likely “highly recommend” using one of these shops, the risk of using said shop is that your vehicle will be repaired to the insurance companies guidelines and not your vehicle’s manufacturer. This means that the DRP shop may use aftermarket parts instead of OEM, original equipment manufacturer, parts.  If so, safety is compromised and insurers make their captive shops use generic parts because they are cheaper for the insurance company.

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