If You Are in a Car Accident
- Turn off your vehicle's engine and leave it where it is, if you feel
it is safe to do so. If you feel threatened, or your car is in danger
of being hit by another car, slowly drive to a place where you feel safe,
such as the side of the road, or a well-lit parking lot.
- Keep calm.
- Are you injured? Assess the amount of impact and judge to what
degree you may be hurt. If you think you're injured, stay in your car and
try to relax. Be honest if anyone asks how you are. Ask someone to call
for help and let a professional assess your condition.
- Assess your situation. When examining the possible damage to
your vehicle, NEVER walk directly between the two cars - if one is
hit again, you could be trapped between the two vehicles.
- Provide medical help to others ONLY if you are trained to do so.
- Call the police. Dial 9-1-1 first. If that doesn't work, dial 0 and ask
for the police.
- Don't say the accident was your fault, even if you believe it was.
- Be tactful and courteous, even if you're angry.
- Get the names, addresses and phone numbers of any witnesses. If
you can't get their names, at least get their license
plate numbers.
- Exchange names, addresses, license numbers and insurance information
with any other drivers involved in the accident.
- Know where you want to get the damage to your vehicle repaired.
You're more likely to get a good repair if you take your car
to a shop that displays a logo for an association such as I-CAR.
The Inter-Industry Conference on Collision Repairs offers the latest
in technical training. If a facility is I-CAR Gold Class, then 80
percent of its technical staff is I-CAR trained.
