Do You Know What To Do If You Get In A Fender Bender?
There’s nothing more annoying than getting into a fender bender. It’s an interruption of your day, it’s expensive and even the most minor accident on the road could lead to you getting hurt. Fender benders are very minor car accidents and they actually happen more often when you’re driving slowly, than when you’re driving fast. When a car is rear-ended or hit when driving backward out of a space or driveway, this is a fender bender. These are the accidents that rarely lead to someone being in hospital with a serious injury, but they can cause a paperwork headache for anyone involved. You have to consider your insurance, police reports and even the DMV – there’s a lot to take on. Let’s take a look at what you should do if you bump another car while you’re in yours.
Keep Calm. Even the most confident drivers get a bit of a shock if someone prangs their car. Take several deep breaths to calm down before you get out and deal with the situation. Make sure that you’re not injured, and do the same for any passengers that you may have. Call 911 for some medical help if you are.
Speak To The Driver. Ideally, the driver who knocked your car hasn’t driven off and left you to pick up the pieces. If they have, it’s worth a chat with https://blumenshinelawgroup.com/ to discuss what you can do. If they didn’t drive off, ask them if they’re okay but don’t apologize as this can be used as an admission of guilt – even if it wasn’t your fault. Swap information and go through insurance to sort it out.
Get Your Phone Out. Start taking pictures of the result of the accident and of the car of the other driver. Your insurance company can ask you questions that you may not have considered later on, and if anyone has seen the accident, ask them to be witnesses.
Speak To Your Insurance Company. No matter how small the accident, speak to your insurance company. If the other driver suggest that you deal with it in cash, then say no and follow protocol as normal. The insurance company can assure you whether you should be calling the police, and they can guide you through filling out the necessary claims forms as well as which repair shops that you should bring your car to.
Speak To The Police. If there were any injuries involved, you need to speak to the police and if the damage on the cars is quite severe, you need to speak to the police as well as the insurance companies. Getting a police report can actually prevent you from insurance fraud and it can be entered into evidence if the other driver makes a false claim. It doesn’t matter whether you have only got some scratches on your car, you need to get the right help.
A fender bender may not seem like much, but it could change everything for your insurance.