We don’t often think about it, but every time we step into a car, we run the risk of being in an accident. I was an unfortunate example of this when I was rear-ended, and I learned a few things along the way. Hopefully, you never have to be in this situation, but it never hurts to be more prepared!
- Call 911!
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Have someone in your car (or you, if you’re alone) call 911. Put them on speakerphone if you need to, but the quicker you call, the quicker emergency services can get to you.
- Put your hazards on!
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It makes other drivers pay more attention to the road and let them know something just happened!
- Move your car off of the roadway ONLY if it’s safe to do so!
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This is pretty self-explanatory, but don’t feel rushed or pressured to move your car if you’re not comfortable with driving quite yet.
- Exchange insurance information with the other driver(s) involved.
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Even though the police will get all of that information and put it in the police report, those take a few days to process. If cars need to be repaired, it’s so much easier to jump through insurance hoops with all of the information up front – just take a quick picture of the other person’s insurance card and it’ll save you some headaches!
- Call a friend to pick you up!
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If possible, call a friend or family member to come get you from the scene of the accident if your car has to be towed. If that’s not possible, you’ll get home, but you’ll have an awkward ride with the tow truck driver.
- Call your insurance company
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It’s annoying, yeah, but filing a claim sooner means your car is fixed sooner. Even if you’re at fault for the accident, tell your insurance! It speeds up the process so much if the driver-at-fault tells their insurance company what happened.
- Be kind to the other driver
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Whether you hit them or they hit you or it’s more complicated than that! You’re both shaken up. Neither of you wanted this to happen. It’s okay to be frustrated and angry, but it doesn’t need to be taken out on them at that very moment!
- DRIVE SAFELY!
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Pay attention to the road and the other drivers around you! We’ve all got places to be, and an accident just isn’t in the schedule.
I hope these reminders are helpful – but I mostly hope you don’t ever have to use them!