What to do if you have an accident

In many circumstances you will not be able to prevent an accident, especially if the accident is not your fault. If you are involved in an accident, there are several steps you need to undertake.

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How do I find the cheapest motor insurance premiums?: In order to get the best possible quote for your Motor insurance you should compare and contrast quotes provided by many different insurers. You'll find the difference between quotes can be enormous with a potential 50% difference between the most expensive and the cheapest quote.
How can I lower my Motor insurance premiums?: Many factors influence the premiums of your Motor insurance policy. Your insurer will have asked you many questions whilst producing your quote - some of which will affect your premium and some will not. To name a few of the important variables, the vehicle you drive, your gender and your age are all important to the insurer whilst they calculate your quote. Below we have discussed several of these key variables that are within the policyholder's control.
I am at the scene of an accident - what do I do?: Take note of the registration number of all vehicles involved within the accident.
As a result of the accident, my car has been damaged - can I go ahead and get it repaired?: If you have taken out comprehensive car insurance cover and wish to claim under the policy, a specific claims procedure will be given to you when you contact the Claims Line to notify them of the accident. You should not repair your vehicle without the approval of your insurer.
How your premium is calculated: The main factors influencing the cost of your insurance policy are:

Firstly, you need to look through your certificate of motor insurance to identify whether or not you are covered. For example with third party insurance only your passengers are covered, not your vehicle itself, so any repairs to the car itself are your responsibility. If you can prove that you were blameless in the accident all the repair costs are paid by the other party involved in the crash.

Comprehensive motor insurance often allows the policy holder to take additional personal injury cover, however in most circumstances the maximum allowed is around £5,000. The premium for this cover is unlikely to be that much so it is well worth adding to your policy, do be aware that the faster the car the greater this additional premium is likely to be.

Don't panic after being involved in an accident, it is your legal responsibility to both exchange insurer details with the other parties involved and also to report the accident to the police within 4 hours, especially if there has been an injury caused. The insurer also often requires you to provide to the during the claims procedure an incident provided to you when you report the accident to the police.

Do not lose your temper, the other party involved in the accident may be angry and try to start an argument with you. You must also NOT, under any circumstances, admit liability at the scene of an accident. You should also try to get an independent witness of the accident to note the position of the vehicles before they are moved.

You must take the details of all parties involved and the details of any witness’ to the accident as well as the car number plate and their important details such as a rough check-up of the damage cause to both your car AND their car. When you have collected all the necessary information leave then scene of the accident and pass all the information you gathered to your insurance company.