Car Accidents: What's the Protocol?

[Tyler]

Apologies if this has been brought up before, but I was curious about what are the basic do's and don'ts when you get/are involved in a car accident.

Having never been in one (knock on wood) before, I'm a little uneducated in the subject.

Obviously ensuring that the other driver is unhurt is a big #1. But aside from that...

Should you ever accept fault for the accident prior to the police arriving?

What if you hit a parked car in a parking lot and leave damage? Is a note sufficient, or are you supposed to wait for the driver (and not be charged with hit and run)?

Where do they typically tow your car to if you get in an accident?

Those who have been involved, are there things you'd recommend doing, avoid mentioning after an accident?

[GoinAllTheWay]

Never, ever admit liability. Never try to place it on the other driver for that matter regardless of how right you think you are. The only thing you need to worry about is if your ok, get your car off the road if you can and get traffic moving again. After that, the only thing you really need to do is get each others insurer info (name of your insurer, NOT the broker and policy number) Take pictures if you can and witnesses are your greatest ally.

If you hit a parked car, ya, leave a note with your contact info. You would only get charged with hit & run if you didn't do that and someone got your licence number as you took of.

Lot of common sense really.

[Resolute 14]

Agreed. Never accept liability.

If it is a smallish fender bender, trade the following information:
- Other driver's name and contact information
- Drivers licence number
- Insurance information
- VIN number of their vehicle
- Take pictures if possible
- Get names and contact information of any witnesses who bother to stick around

- Report the accident to police. iirc, this is only required if you think the total damage is >$1000, or if there is damage to public property. I might be wrong on the $ amount though.

Oddly enough, larger accidents are easier to deal with:

- call 911
- wait for the cops and let them do all that paper work
- dont expect an EMT to give you anything like asprin. If you want or need anything, they will take you to the hospital

[Frequitude]

The take pictures one is huge. Toss a disposable camera in your car.

I keep mine in my "emergency kit" in my trunk.

[CaptainCrunch]

1) Get out of damaged car
2) Stride over to car that hit you, pull open door while swearing
3) Pull other driver out of car and punch him out
4) Bust all of his head and tail lights while saying something clever

[Bring_Back_Shantz]

Just a quick heads up.
Technically leaving a note on a car you hit is still a hit and run.
At least one reason is that if you did it while smashed you could get away with drinking and driving.
Plus there's always the posibility that the note blows away or is somehow lost, which if there was a witness could leave you in a world of trouble.

If you're in a hurry and can't wait for the driver, your best bet is to call the non emergency police line and let them know what happend and leave your info and the license number of the car you hit and then leave a note saying that you did so.

[burn_baby_burn]

Originally Posted by Tyler

What if you hit a parked car in a parking lot and leave damage? Is a note sufficient, or are you supposed to wait for the driver (and not be charged with hit and run)?

I was told by a police officer that leaving your contact info on the car is the proper protical. Waiting for the driver could be unrealistic since he could be gone overnight or for the weekend even (every situation is differant, although this could be the case in some circumstances).

[Bill Bumface]

Rule #1:

Move your effing car the eff out of the way. I don't care if you have a little scuff on your bumper, you can rub at it and exchange information on the side of the road instead of stopping just over the crest of a hill IN THE MIDDLE LANE OF CROWCHILD DURING RUSH HOUR.

[BlackArcher101]

Originally Posted by Tyler

Obviously ensuring that the other driver is unhurt is a big #1. But aside from that...

I prefer to make sure I'm not hurt before I check the others. Yourself #1, unless you hit a full school bus of course.

Originally Posted by Tyler

Should you ever accept fault for the accident prior to the police arriving?

Never say anything that's close to admitting guilt... even to the cops. Only tell what happened, don't say something like "I'm sorry, I thought he was turning". Just state that the driver had the signal blinking. It is the cops and your insurance company that will determine guilt.

Originally Posted by Tyler

What if you hit a parked car in a parking lot and leave damage? Is a note sufficient, or are you supposed to wait for the driver (and not be charged with hit and run)?

A note is usually not sufficient. Go to a police station immediately and file a report. Of course you can always wait for the driver if you wish as well.

Originally Posted by Tyler

Where do they typically tow your car to if you get in an accident?

That depends.. if it's bad, most likely to the tow companies yard (if it might be a write off). If there is bad body damage only, it will go to a body shop. If there is moderate mechanical damage, it will go to a shop. If it's just minor damage, it goes home with me. By default, if you don't request a location, they will take it to the tow companies yard.

Originally Posted by Tyler

Those who have been involved, are there things you'd recommend doing, avoid mentioning after an accident?

#1 - As mentioned, avoid anything that would admit guilt. State facts only, not opinions or thoughts, no matter what the other person says.

#2 - Get the cars off the road as soon as possible. No, you don't need to leave the vehicles in a lane blocking rush hour traffic to perform your own CSI style analysis and exchange insurance info. If you call the cops, the first thing they ask is if the vehicles are driveable. If they are, they request that you move them, then come to the station to file the accident report.

#3 - Obtain information as quickly as possible. If someone rear ends you, position yourself to get the tag number just in case the person backs up and takes a side street ala hit & run. If they hit you and immediately point out a parking lot up ahead to pull into, get the basic tag info first, make a note of the drivers description. You may pull into the lot and the other drive might continue on, not letting you see the tag.

#4 - As for information, copy down:
-Insurance agency and policy #,
-Drivers licence #, name and address
-Licence plate
-Car VIN (most likely on insurance pink slip), but if you prefer, you can confirm with the cars stamped VIN. Never know when people have false documents.

#5 - It's handy to leave a camera of some kind in the glove box. That way with any accident you can quickly take pictures, then move the vehicles as you please.

[ken0042]

I guess I have a different take on admitting guilt.

I would say that if it is quite obvious you are guilty, there is no harm in admitting your mistake and proceeding from there. I can think of two seperate accidents as examples. First one I was at fault, I rear ended a guy. First thing I did was appologize sincerely. The guy looked at the damage, saw that I was sorry, and told me not to worry about it. I gave him my name and number just in case he changed his mind, but then never heard from him again.

The other accident I was rear ended, and the guy also was appologetic. We exchanged info, he even asked a few times if I was sure I was OK and didn't need to go to the hospital. At the end of it the damage was minor and I didn't suffer any permanant injury so I called the guy up and told him not to worry about the accident.

In my mind the only reason to not admit guilt when you were clearly at fault is to try and get out of responsibility. Sure, if it's a close call then maybe don't offer anything incriminating. But most of the accidents I've been involved in they have been clearly one person's fault.

[BlackArcher101]

I agree to an extent ken0042. Except one situation I was in left me not thinking like that anymore. I rear ended someone because they had braked hard in front of me, almost like a brake check. Now, rear-ender accidents are usually 100% the fault of the person following the other, so naturally I admitted guilt and was awarded a ticket for following too close.

They in turn sued my insurance company for medical damages sustained during the crash. In the process of the investigation by the insurance company, they came across existing claims by this couple that they've been through this exact thing before a couple times. One of those times being only a few months before my accident. Insurance company had their hands tied though, as I admitted guilt, and therefor this scamming couple were going to get a nice settlement. They said if I had not said anything, then they probably wouldn't have given this couple one cent and fought it in court.

This accident was also very minor... as in a 15km/hr impact with no airbags going off as I had nearly stopped in time.

[Cowboy89]

Originally Posted by ken0042

I guess I have a different take on admitting guilt.

I would say that if it is quite obvious you are guilty, there is no harm in admitting your mistake and proceeding from there. I can think of two seperate accidents as examples. First one I was at fault, I rear ended a guy. First thing I did was appologize sincerely. The guy looked at the damage, saw that I was sorry, and told me not to worry about it. I gave him my name and number just in case he changed his mind, but then never heard from him again.

The other accident I was rear ended, and the guy also was appologetic. We exchanged info, he even asked a few times if I was sure I was OK and didn't need to go to the hospital. At the end of it the damage was minor and I didn't suffer any permanant injury so I called the guy up and told him not to worry about the accident.

In my mind the only reason to not admit guilt when you were clearly at fault is to try and get out of responsibility. Sure, if it's a close call then maybe don't offer anything incriminating. But most of the accidents I've been involved in they have been clearly one person's fault.

I agree with what you're saying and am glad things worked out so well with that approach. However, that's only something that works when everyone involved are civil and well-meaning people. I would argue that at least 50% of the people you could potentially be in an accident with will not be that way. Always cover your ass and let the police/insurance company handle the liability without giving away any sense of guilt or responsibility.

I was in a six car pile up 7 years ago. There was a stalled car in a hidden location in a turning lane off of Crowchild. The first car saw this stalled car way too late and had to hammer on the breaks and make a quick stop. The person behind had even less time, and I barely braked in time to not hit the car in front of me (Left about a foot inbetween cars). The car behind me wasn't so lucky and smashed into me so hard that her car popped my breaks drove me into the car in front of me. The force between her ploughing into me and cars behind her crashing into her wedged her car underneath my mini-van. She got out of her car and cried to me that "she was so sorry." She was very distraught.

The kicker here though is how the insurance companies were to issue fault. We had soft-tissue damages and damaged vehicles and the amount of fault per person would have had a significant effect on future premiums and possible traffic infractions. The girl behind me after the fact contended that she was hit and driven into me by the drivers behind her before hitting me. Since she admitted she was "So sorry" and other drivers had heard her she was attributed 100% fault for my car and the two cars in front of me as opposed to pushing fault to the driver behind her. I for the life of me couldn't tell whether or not she was hit before hitting me or not, but her admission of guilt was the only shread of evidence needed to refute her claim to have been fully stopped before hitting my car. If this is actually how it went down, her empathy and saying she was sorry increased her premiums needlessly.

[Burninator]

To add to what everyone else is saying:

- Don't sign anything, ever.

- Get witnesses, especially if you are not at fault.

- Make sure you are the one writing down the information. Don't let the other person write down their own information.

[zukes]

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

1) Get out of damaged car
2) Stride over to car that hit you, pull open door while swearing
3) Pull other driver out of car and punch him out
4) Bust all of his head and tail lights while saying something clever

further along those lines, carry a gun and threaten the other driver. Always makes for interesting conversation with the police later.

[Bring_Back_Shantz]

Originally Posted by zukes

further along those lines, carry a gun and threaten the other driver. Always makes for interesting conversation with the police later.

Yup and if there is a girlfiend/wife in the car and she comes over and tries to pull you off the dude, make sure to backhand her across the face and yell something like "Stay out of this bitch!"

[Tyler]

Thanks for everyone's input. Some good points to remember.