School Minibus

What to do in the event of an RTA

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Road Traffic accidents can take place at any given moment and this brief guide will offer advice and tips on what action you should take.

After the impact has taken place it is best to gather as much information as possible in the event of a claim being made by yourself or to defend any claim being made against you. A tip given by many insurers is to always carry a small notepad and pen in your vehicle so that you can record details down straight away.

Firstly make sure you are physically ok and any passengers that you may have in your vehicle. If anyone has sustained an injury and is unable to exit the vehicle unaided it is advised to contact the emergency services.

  • Take images – If you have a smart phone or a camera in your vehicle we advise that you take images of the accident location (with vehicles still in position if possible however if they had to be moved then please take an image of where the impact took place, damage to all vehicles involved, third party vehicle showing the vehicle registration.

 

  • Exchange details with the third party – Try to obtain the following; Name, Address, Contact number, Vehicle registration, Insurance company name, policy number. (If they refuse to provide you with their details make sure you take note of their vehicle registration and note down a small description of the driver. If this is the case we advise you contact the police to report the incident and confirm that they have refused to provide you with the relevant information)(Failure to exchange information at the scene of the accident can result in the police taking further action against you and may land you with a fine and a conviction on your license.)

 

  • Circumstances – It would be helpful if you noted down the following to provide to your insurers when reporting a claim; Time, Location, Brief note of what happened, a small sketch while the accident is still fresh in your memory.

 

  • Witnesses – You may find that people approach you after an accident however if you notice someone has witnessed what has happened it is best to ask them if they are happy to be a noted witness of the accident and to be contacted If needed for a statement. Please take a note of their Name, Address (or email) and a contact number.

 

  • DO NOT provide any comment on liability at the scene of the accident – It is best to obtain all the above information and pass it to your insurance company for them to review.

 

  • Report the accident as soon as possible – It is recommended that you report the claim to your insurance company within 24 hours of an accident taking place regardless of if you are making a claim or who is at fault. Here at Quotax we have a dedicated claims handler who can assist you with this process and offer further advice/services to suit your needs.

 

Once a claim is reported to an insurer or representative it is not uncommon for you to receive cold colds from alternative companies offering you services or on behalf of the third party side fishing for information or trying to get you to accept liability on a recorded phone call. Due to this it is advised that you only discuss your claim with your insurer or representative only.

If you are unsure who is dealing with your claim always contact your insurer and ask or provide them with the names of companies calling you so they can confirm who is acting on your behalf.

 

Dealing with an accident outside of insurance Do’s and Don’ts

 

If either you offer to assist the third party outside of insurance or the third party offers to assist you it is helpful to keep the following in mind;

 

*If you decide to choose this option and the third party reimburses you for your losses you will not be able to claim again for the same incident via your insurance company or the other parties insurance company*

 

  • DO follow the above steps still just in case you or the third party reverts back to the general insurance route.
  • DO obtain a quote for your vehicle from a garage before accepting any sums from the third party as some repairs can cost more than what it looks like.
  • DO keep hold of any receipts for any work you have done to your vehicle that the other party has not yet paid for.
  • DO NOT just pay sums to the third party without asking them to sign some paper stating that they accept you have paid them out. Make sure this contains you information, the third party information, the sum paid out and both sign the paper along with the date.
  • DO NOT feel like you have to accept this option if you are not fully agreeable – you are under no obligation to settle outside of insurance and we advise you contact your insurer so they can get involved as soon as possible.

By Danielle Flood

Quotax Claims Manager