Did you know that every year, there are over 6 million bad auto accidents in the United States, which means that there’s going to be about 18,000 bad car accidents today? The odds of getting into an accident are so high that according to the insurance industry’s car accidents statistics, a driver will have an accident once every 17.9 years.
Of course, it doesn’t take these bad auto accidents statistics to know that the likelihood of an accident is way too high. The seeming inevitability of bad auto accidents makes it necessary to know what to do in such situations. If you’re not sure what these things are, take a deep breath and relax. Here’s a short list of what you need to do.
1. Call the Authorities.
First things first–assess the situation. If you can move your car, then pull over to the side of the road. If not, then shut the engine off and turn your flashers on. In either scenario, check to see if anyone is hurt and call 911. When the police and medical personnel arrive, report your accident.
2. Exchange Information.
This is perhaps the most important part of dealing with bad auto accidents. You need to make sure to exchange names, addresses, phone numbers, insurance providers, license plate numbers, policy numbers, and any other pertinent contact information with the other motorists involved.
3. Stay Put.
In most cases, you can’t leave immediately. You still need to stay put even if the damage is light. The authorities will tell you when it’s appropriate for you to continue on your way.
4. Document Things.
In addition to the police report, make sure to take pictures of each car in the accident. If you don’t have a camera in your cellphone, then keep a disposable camera in your vehicle just in case of any bad auto accidents.
5. Call Your Insurer.
You need to call and report your incident as soon as possible. Waiting around to do so could have serious repercussions, and only make things worse for you.
So long as you follow these tips, then those bad auto accidents won’t be quite so awful. If you have any questions, feel free to ask in the comments. See this link for more references.
