One of the perks about going away to college is being able to go anywhere you want, and if you are graciously gifted with a car from your parents, this makes getting around so much easier. However, as you are speeding down the street trying to get to class on time and belching out the lyrics to the latest Rihanna song, a car appears out of nowhere (it was really there the whole time, you just weren’t paying attention) and you can’t stop your car in time and before you know it you are in your first fender bender ever. What do you do? Mom and Dad are hundreds of miles away to come to the rescue and you need to deal with this accident right away. Unfortunately, this is something majorities of people have to go through in order to gain experience in what to do. Take a deep breath, get yourself together and follow these accident etiquette instructions to save you some grief and confusion.
Consider your plans cancelled
Whether you were just minding your own business at a red light waiting for it to turn green so you can go home after a long day or you were speeding down the I-5 to make it to class on time, all immediate plans are cancelled the moment your car hits/scrapes/love-taps another car. Consider yourself at least thirty minutes late to whatever plans you had and do yourself a favor (especially if you were at fault) and not gripe and complain about how you’re late to work. It happened and there is no way to reverse it, so just take a moment to calm yourself and make the necessary calls to your appointment and explain that you will be late due to a car accident. Concentrate on the matter at hand in order to deal with it efficiently, correctly and without any more problems; if you are already late, you wouldn’t want to make yourself even more so because you were arguing with the other driver or because you couldn’t locate your insurance information. Also, just a helpful tip: try not to make it too obvious to the other driver that you would rather be somewhere else; I’m sure they are thinking the exact same thing.
Make sure you and the other driver are okay!
This one is common courtesy, etiquette you learned in elementary school. Once you have checked if you and your passengers are intact, whether you are the at-fault party or the victim, you need to make sure the other person is okay! No matter how softly you think you hit the other car there are still chances that the person is injured in some way. Car accident victims can go into shock due to such a sudden impact and from a recent personal experience that can lead to an inability to talk, breathe/see properly, confusion and so much more. In more serious cases, a victim can faint from shock or even have a heart attack so it is imperative to make sure the other driver is fine, especially since you are legally obligated to assist them if they are hurt by calling 911. On the other hand, if you do not ask someone if they are OK, it is highly likely they will pick up on that and then repay your apathy with a handsome lawsuit. A simple “Are you okay” can possibly spare you an angry driver bent on legal revenge.
Should you say “I’m sorry”?
As someone that recently got rear-ended, I would love to answer this question with “Yeah! You better say you are sorry!” However, in a world where lawsuits can be a man’s best friend, admitting that you are sorry would be counted as an admission of guilt that can be used against you later in court. So, if you are expecting an apology from the other driver and you do not receive one, don’t get angry since now that you know this helpful fact. It is recommended to keep discussion to a minimum. However, if you must be a gentleman, say something like “This is such an unfortunate event” or any other comment that can sympathize without expressing guilt. If you want to voice anything unfriendly, I highly suggest not doing so since emotions are extremely unstable in people that are in accidents. An unnecessary comment or excuse can make the situation extremely heated. So, if you don’t have something nice to say, don’t say it at all.
Contact the police and file a police report
You are away in college; your parents are probably too far off to come to the rescue so instead you must rely on the police. Call 911 to report the accident and then you can follow it up by calling your parents to calm your nerves and ask for advice. Do not shrug off minor fender benders as something that does not require a police officer. You may want to avoid involving the cops because of a bad past experience but trust me, even if you were the one that was at fault during the car accident, having a police officer at the scene will most likely help you out in the long run. Here are a few reasons why.
- If there isn’t a police report filed, then it is your word against the other driver’s, who might come up with a crazy story or worse: blame you for damage that occurred prior to or after the accident. A police officer will take pictures and collect both sides of the story to lessen the chance of any sort of fraud happening in the future.
- It is extremely helpful having a third party that is calm and uninvolved like a police officer at the scene. Accidents can cause both drivers to be dazed, confused, and/or angry and any of those conditions do not help sort out accidents.
- You are required to call the police if anyone is injured or there is $500 or more worth of damage done.
Exchange information with the other driver
Here is where you will have to do the most talking, and also where having a police officer around will make things easier. You may be hesitant talking to the other driver but you need to get their insurance information, license plate number, driver’s license information and contact information. You can do this prior to the police arriving or you can wait and have the police officer assist you with this; and take a lot of your own pictures as well..
Contact your insurance company
After you have finally made it safely back home and have rested your nerves a bit, call your insurance company and file a claim. It doesn’t matter if you were at fault or the other person was, you are required to contact them anyway. What a hassle huh? However, it’s a necessary measure because you need to have them file your claim in order to protect yourself from suffering a ridiculous claim from the other party. Good thing you have that police report to back you up too! The insurance company handles everything from there and you hopefully never have to see the other party again!
So if you are ever in an accident, remember to take a deep breath and calm yourself. Use a civilized manner while interacting with the other party and don’t y act like you’re in high school when things get real. You’re probably going to be quite shaken up the first few times you get into an accident and I hate to say “practice makes perfect,” so just drive carefully and pay attention to the road to avoid accidents!