The car insurance information contained within these pages is based on information supplied by The Claims Guru, a site packed with useful information about the inner workings of insurance companies and their products.
What To Do In The Event Of An Accident
If you have an accident there are some things you must do by law. They come from the Road Traffic Act(s) These are set out in the Highway Code and also in many road atlas's and other publications for drivers.
"A car drove away at speed catching our client who went up in the air
and his head went through the windscreen and then rolled off at the
traffic lights a good few feet away. The car then sped off and
miraculously our client remained conscious and managed to cross the
road."
Extracts taken from actual claim forms submitted to
a number of UK car insurance companies
Just to remind you, the Highway Code says:
If you are involved in an accident which causes damage or injury to any other person , or other vehicle, or any animal (horse, cattle, ass, mule, sheep, pig, goat or dog) not in your vehicle, or to roadside property you MUST:
Stop
Give your own and the vehicle owner's name and address and the registration number of the vehicle to anyone having reasonable grounds for requiring them;
If you do not give your name and address at the time of the accident, report the accident to the police as soon as reasonably practicable, and in any case within 24 hours.
If another person is injured and you do not produce your insurance certificate at the time of the accident to the police or to anyone who with reasonable grounds has requested it, you MUST also:
report the accident to the police as soon as possible, and in any case within 24 hours;
produce your insurance certificate to the police either when reporting the accident or within seven days at any police station you select.
The conditions in your policy say that you must not admit liability. Even saying 'sorry' can be taken as admission of guilt. IT IS NOT UP TO YOU TO DECIDE WHO IS TO BLAME.
Leave that to your insurers and if necessary the law courts. Also, the police do not decide who is to blame. If they are involved they will be collecting evidence to determine if a criminal offence has taken place and if so, reporting this to the Crown Prosecution Service.
If they have evidence to prosecute someone for a driving offence the chances are that the same evidence proves an act of negligence in a civil court.
