What to do if you get into an Accident

Before the Accident

Always carry a pen and paper in your car. (The glovebox is a good place.)

Have insurance, and carry it with you like you carry your license. Also, keep it up to date. Many drivers will accuse you of being at fault if your insurance papers are expired. It's an accusation that doesn't work unless you no longer have insurance, but it's still nice to avoid the accusation.

During the Accident

First, get (in this order) the license plate number, make, model, and colour of the car. A license plate by itself is not good enough!--police will check your memory by matching the number and your description of the car against what car the plate is actually registered to.

Then, write it down. Hit and runs are surprisingly common.

Get a description of the person driving the car. Skin colour, race, hair colour, eye colour, glasses/none. If they run away after asking you to pull into the next parking lot (also common), you want to be prepared. (At this time, also check your clock and write down the exact time of the accident.)

Look for witnesses. Especially if it was the other driver's fault. Get at least two witnesses. Flag them down if necessary. Witnesses aren't usually necessary, unless the other driver reverses into you or does something particularly stupid. You also need witnesses if the other guy runs a red.

On the other hand, if the accident was your fault, you don't want witnesses. You can't stop them from witnessing, but you certainly don't need to flag their car down.

Get the full name and contact numbers of the witness. If you can do so without being pushy, get their address as well. Police prefer and trust home visits over phone calls.

When exchanging information, get their driver's license and insurance, and hand over your own.

You will need this information regardless of whose fault the accident is. Also, ask who the owner of the car is, and if it's different than the driver, get information on the owner.

Specifically, you will need the full name (first, middle, and last), address, postal/zip code, telephone numbers, driver's license number, province/state of the license, class of license, gender, date of birth, age (included in date of birth) from the license; owner's name, address, postal/zip code and phone numbers; and the insurance company's name, policy number, and expiry date. (In other words, everything.)

After you exchange information, the person at fault may offer to pay for it in cash. If you are at fault, you will want to pay in cash, because your insurance will skyrocket.

Car repairs are ridiculously expensive. Take these examples from actual police reports.

"Front Bumper, Right Headlight, and Hood Damage--$2000"

"FL Corner of Bumper, FL Headlight Cover Damaged--$1000"

"Rear Bumper cracked--$1200"

A damaged license plate is $150. Any bumper damage that can't be sanded away will cause the bumper to be "totalled", which usually runs around $1000, depending on the size of the vehicle.

All this said, you want to pay in cash, even with these absurd prices, and you don't want your insurance to know. You can't force the other party to leave insurance/police out of it, but you can offer gently.

People lie. All the time. For the first five minutes of every accident, everyone says sorry. After that, it's your fault--you reversed into them--regardless of whose fault the accident really is. That's why witnesses are important.

I always feel sorry reading the reports of those under 25, because if it's their fault they admit it and they haven't learned how to bend words/lie yet. I think once every 50 reports, I get one where someone isn't defending their innocence by bending words/outright lying.

Now, I don't condone lying, but.. if you must lie, make sure it matches the damage on your car. If you T-bone someone, and claim the other guy rear-ended you... police aren't stupid. (It's really funny reading the reports of stupid liars.)

Before you leave the scene, write down the location of the accident and make sure the other driver is aware of the accident location too. It would make my job so much easier if you can exactly place the accident, i.e. "Eastbound Main Street, directly in front of McDonalds, 1240 Main Street, just before the intersection of Main & First, 5 yards before the right turn lane begins." Things that help me in my job are when I know the intersection just passed and the intersection about to be reached when it's a midblock; and the exact businesses nearby, with address numbers, whether at an intersection or a midblock. I'd appreciate it. :-)

After the Accident

If you don't trust the other guy or it's their fault or if damage is significant or you're going through insurance, report the accident to the police. Call 911. (If someone is injured, call 911.)

Get multiple estimates for your/their car if you're paying for it. (Unless the car isn't driveable, and needs to be towed everywhere.) Car shops generally charge more if they find out it's being paid for through insurance. It's easier to rob a non-personal corporation than a person and future potential customer.