Accidents happen in the most unexpected ways, and drivers, even the most experienced ones, cannot avoid such happenings. Drivers should always be ready when such thing happens and they should know what to do. Preparedness and alertness can help lessen the injuries physically and mentally, legal problems, time lost, and other costs of the collision. When faced with this kind of problem, knowing what to do can mean life or death.
Company’s fleet managers should make sure those employees who handle vehicles are educated in what to do when car accidents happen.
Don’t panic, think about the things that you have to do in the right order, and get some help as soon as possible. These are the three things to do when faced by a car accident.
A car accident may be a source of another accident that may happen and the driver must be aware of it. Although jurisdiction may not allow the moving of vehicles from the place the accident happened, the driver should control things to prevent making traffic problems and other collisions. One of the things to do is warn incoming drivers on either direction about the traffic of the incident, or ask some people to do so. If the cars are not working, turn on the emergency flashers and lights and also set out warning flares.
If the vehicles that cannot be moved after setting up the warnings, whether because the authority of law requires it to remain in the same place or because it is disabled, there is an importance in getting away from the vehicles. But, if the vehicles are given permission to be moved, the cars should be in a place that is out of traffic flow. If possible, before moving the vehicles, take photographs of the vehicles in the original positions for accident records.
As soon as possible, the police must be called for further instructions about the accidents. Sometimes the police may ask the driver to make a direct report to the police station for a police report and the driver must note all instructions given either on the scene or on the phone. If there are any injured persons, paramedics should be called immediately. The injured person should not be moved because it may cause more damage.
Unattended vehicles that are involved in the collision should be left with note with the driver’s contact number if the owner is out of reach but the owner must be immediately notified. The driver should inform the police immediately and ask for plan of action.
The driver should ensure a complete accident report by jotting down all information possible starting from the injured persons, information about the other driver involve in the accident, names, addresses, phone numbers, and any other important information from anyone involved in the accident, and lastly information about things that may have contributed to the accident including location, exact time, date, weather conditions, and other related information.
Drivers should be always ready with an accident report form in the car because this written report is important. A state can have the power to suspend a driver’s license for not having a file written report in case of a collision. These forms are available in from different law enforcement agencies and car insurance companies. There are also available downloadable forms in the Department of Transportation (DOT) websites in some states.