I never thought I'd need to write about what to do in the case of a car accident. It seems like everyone knows what to do or has had it repeated enough that you don't need to remind them. It wasn't until I got sideswiped a month ago that I realized I had no idea what to do. I had been in car wrecks before, but the unexpected sideswipe out of the blue rendered me senseless. I couldn't remember what to do and sat in my car diagonal across two lanes with no memory of what to do next. So here's a little article that you can print out and keep in your glove box so that if you do ever get in an accident you'll have a reminder of what to do.
If you are in a car accident, the first priority is to get everyone safe. If you can't move the car, put flares out around the car. You have flares in your car safety kit, right? If you can move the car, get it off the road so it doesn't cause another accident. In some states it's illegal to keep cars where they ended up on the road after an accident.
If anyone is hurt call for help immediately. Use your first aid kit to wrap them up, keep them still and keep them calm. If no one is hurt then leave the car to walk around and see what damage there is.
A big thing to remember is to stay calm. Even if the other driver crossed four lanes of traffic to brake right in front of you, you need to stay calm. The police don't like anyone getting upset and it makes you look like a hot head and the police may doubt your word as to what happened. Be the level headed one and don't respond to taunts from the other driver. If you fear for your safety from the other driver, get back in your car and call the police.
Get the typical information needed from the other driver such as their name, address, phone number, insurance company, insurance policy number, license plate number. Take photos of the damage to both cars and the location. If you were at fault, do not admit it until you talk to your insurance agency. Some states do not allow you to leave the scene until the police have arrived. Call the police to report the accident and wait for them to arrive.
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