subject: How To Keep Your Head Cool And Do The Right Thing In An Auto Accident [print this page] Nobody likes buying insurance, but everybody's got to have it. Regardless of your driving record, social status, or standing in life, nobody can escape the fact that a certain percentage of people get into accidents every year, and there's not much we can do about it. Preparing for these things by pooling risk is the basic element of insurance. Hopefully, things like this will never happen to us, so we keep paying our monthly bill just in case. But in the unlikely event that you are in an accident, you'll need to keep your wits about you. It can make the difference between a smoothly filed claim where everybody agrees what happened, or a prolonged court battle where nobody really wins.
To start with, you should always keep a camera in your car. Don't depend on always having your cell phone. Keep a disposable camera in the glove box. If anything happens, take as many pictures as you can. This will pretty much put the lid on any ideas about making stuff up after the fact to collect some extra insurance money. When people see you snapping photos, they will forget those ideas. Be sure to take pictures of both cars, any skid marks, and any other evidence.
Always know where your insurance papers are. The glove box is a good place. That way, you'll always be able to get them when you need them.
As soon as you are sure you're OK, call the police. Don't admit guilt, don't say you've crashed. Describe what happened as neutrally as possible. If you admit guilt, even in the first 9-11 call, it could be later used against you. Admitting fault is something you never want to do.
Look around you and see who's watching. Ask if anybody has seen the accident. Make sure nobody is up to anything funny. Try and get people's names if possible.
Once the police have been called, and you are sure nobody is injured, call your insurance agent. Let them know what happened, and let them know the police are on their way.
Regardless of what happened, or who hit whom, stay calm. Getting angry or agitated isn't going to hurt anybody. Just take a few deep breaths, stand away from people if you need to, and wait for the police to arrive.
When you stay calm, and follow the guidelines in this article, you'll have a much better chance of everything going smoothly. Take plenty of pictures, get as many names as possible, and simply take care of business.
by: Winston Takeda
welcome to Insurances.net (https://www.insurances.net)
