Hopefully, you won’t find yourself in a collision on the roads. But it’s always a good idea to know what to do if you do find yourself in this unfortunate situation.
Here’s everything you need to know to deal with the situation effectively should it occur!
MAKE SURE TO STOP
It is absolutely paramount that you stop your vehicle as soon as you can safely do so – no matter what kind of road incident you may have found yourself in. This is a legal requirement and if you fail to stop, you will be found and charged. Not to mention that it’s morally wrong to leave the scene of a collision – you need to make sure that others involved are okay.
CALL FOR HELP
When you’ve stopped, you need to check that everyone involved is okay and, if not, you will need to call for any necessary help. This could include medical help or the help of fire services. The emergency services will be able to dispatch any relevant help you may need.
It might be the case that nobody is injured which is the best case scenario. If this is true for your situation, then you need to take the next step which is getting your car sorted. If there is no reason for your car to remain at the site, then you should call a towing service to come and remove your vehicle. Find out where it is being taken if not to your home address, and then worry about the repairs later once you have recovered from the shock. There are more important things to worry about than your vehicle at this point, but you should ensure it is safely off the road to avoid adding more stress to your current situation.
COLLECT OTHER INDIVIDUALS’ PERSONAL DETAILS
If everyone is okay, you need to make sure to collect the insurance details of other people involved in the collision. This will allow you to make a claim that can have your car repaired and make up for any damage to others’ possessions and cars that you may have caused. The details that you should collect include the other person’s name, address, and insurance details, as well as the registration number of their vehicle and the make and model of their vehicle. You should also check whether they are the registered keeper and owner of the vehicle. If they aren’t, make sure to also ask for the details of the registered keeper and owner.
REACH OUT TO A LAWYER
A lawyer should be your first port of call once you’ve returned home and had time to process the incident. Make sure to hire an attorney who will be able to assess your case and put together a case for court. If you have experienced an incident that wasn’t your fault, a good attorney will be able to claim compensation on your behalf. This can be used towards medical costs associated with the incident and can replace any loss of earnings that you may experience from taking time off work to recover. This can help prevent you from falling into debt and experiencing further hardship as a result of the incident.
CONSIDER THERAPY
Therapy can help you to deal with the trauma of being in a road incident. Never feel ashamed to admit that a car crash has shaken you or caused you some sort of distress. It’s completely understandable and to be expected. A therapist will be able to help you deal with the incident in a healthy way that will let you overcome it. This can improve your overall quality of life following the crash.
Hopefully, none of this advice will never need to be put to use. But it’s always better to be safe than sorry and having this knowledge on hand will help to make any experience of a road incident a lot better for you and everyone else involved in general. So, keep it in mind at all times when you get behind the wheel!
Thanks for reading and y’all stay dandy.
-Diego
Follow me on Instagram and Pinterest for more menswear inspiration.
(Some of these links may contain affiliate links, so that means if you click and buy something, I get a cut. It helps keep the site going! Full Disclosure)