Car accidents can be a scary and stressful situation to be in, whether you're a new driver or an experienced one. Most of you are going to be involved in a vehicle collision at least once in your lifetime. In fact, the average American driver will be associated with four car accidents in his/her lifetime. So it's imperative that you know what to do and NOT DO at the scene. Here are the five big no-nos following a vehicle collision:
- Flee the Scene - You may be scared, but you should never run away from your problems. It is considered a criminal offense. You are obligated by law to remain at the scene, regardless of how minor the hit was, so don't take off.
- BlockTraffic - If the accident is minor and if the conditions allow it, please move all involved vehicles to the side road. Otherwise, you'll annoy a lot of the other people on the road. It's also going to be safer for you and the other party to get out of the car to exchange information.
- Not Call the Police - An accident must be reported to police when there are injuries, damage exceeds $2,000, or if you are a victim of a hit and run.
- Forget to Exchange Information - Before you can carry on with your day or night, you need to gather several important things from the parties involved in the accident. Here's what you'll need: the driver's name(s), address, insurance company name, insurance policy number, license plate number, phone numbers, and any other relevant contact information.
- Fail to Gather Evidence - You should gather as much evidence as possible. We live in a digital age, so feel free to take photos or videos of the damages to explain how the accident went down. This will especially be useful if you have to take it out in court.
We never want to wish this on anybody, but we hope that this information proves to be helpful if it happens to you. At Elite Auto Experts, we offer auto body & collision repairs. If you need an estimate on your damages, feel free to give us a call or visit today.