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What to Do After a Car Accident

By the team at Sighted Vehicle Valuations · Updated July 2026

Being involved in a car accident can be stressful, whether it’s a minor bump in a car park or a more serious collision.

Once everyone is safe, it’s often difficult to know what to do next. Should you call your insurer straight away? What details do you need from the other driver? What happens if they don’t have insurance? And what if your vehicle ends up being written off?

This guide walks you through the steps to take after a motor vehicle accident, explains how the insurance claims process works, and answers many of the common questions drivers have along the way.

Step 1: Make sure everyone is safe

Your first priority should always be the safety of everyone involved.

If anyone is injured, call 111 immediately and request the appropriate emergency services.

If it’s safe to do so:

• Move vehicles out of the flow of traffic to reduce the risk of another collision
• Turn on your hazard lights
• Check everyone involved is safe and receiving any assistance they need

Police attendance isn’t required for every accident, but you should contact Police if:

• Someone has been injured
• You suspect alcohol or drugs may be involved
• A driver leaves the scene without exchanging details
• The vehicles can’t be moved safely
• The road is blocked or traffic is being significantly affected

Once everyone is safe, you can begin gathering the information you’ll need for your insurance claim.

Step 2: Exchange details

Once it’s safe to do so, exchange details with the other driver(s) involved. The most important details to collect are:

• Vehicle registration number
• Driver’s name
• Phone number
• Address

To help with this, you can simply take a photo of the vehicle’s registration plate and the other driver’s licence.

It’s also useful, though not essential, to collect:

• Email address
• Insurance company, if known

Witnesses. If there are witnesses, it’s also worth noting their names and contact details in case your insurer needs to follow up.

Photographs. It’s also worth taking photographs at the scene. Good photographs can make the claims process much easier, particularly if liability is later disputed. This isn’t essential for straightforward situations, such as hitting a pillar in a car park.

Try to photograph:

• Every vehicle involved
• Damage to each vehicle
• The position of the vehicles before they’re moved (if it’s safe to do so)
• Skid marks or debris
• Road markings
• Traffic signs or traffic lights
• Weather and road conditions

The more information you have, the easier it will be for your insurer to understand what happened.

Step 3: Notify your insurer or broker

Once you’ve exchanged details and documented the scene, contact your insurer or broker as soon as possible, most policies require you to report an accident promptly, and delays can complicate your claim. Many insurers also allow you to lodge a claim online.

If you’re going through a broker, they’ll be able to advise you on what to do next.

When you call, your insurer will typically ask for:

• Your policy number
• The date, time, and location of the accident
• A description of how the accident happened
• The other driver’s details, if applicable
• Whether Police attended, and any reference number if they did
• Photographs or other evidence you’ve collected

Your insurer will use this information to lodge a claim and advise you on the next steps, including where to take your vehicle for assessment if required.

Step 4: What happens next?

Once your claim is lodged, your insurer will work through a series of steps to determine how it will be resolved.

Assessment. Your insurer will usually arrange for your vehicle to be inspected, either by an assessor or an approved repairer, to determine the extent of the damage and whether it’s repairable.

Liability. Your insurer will also determine who was at fault. This affects who is responsible for the cost of repairs or replacement, and whether an excess applies.

Repair or total loss. Based on the assessment, your insurer will decide whether to repair the vehicle or, if the cost of repairs isn’t considered economical compared to the vehicle’s insured value, declare it a total loss. If that happens, our guide My Vehicle Has Been Written Off – What Happens Next? explains exactly what to expect, including how your settlement is calculated and what your options are.

Common insurance scenarios

What if someone else damaged my vehicle?

If you have Comprehensive insurance, you’ll generally lodge your claim with your own insurer. They’ll manage your claim and, where appropriate, recover their costs from the at-fault party or their insurer.

If you have Third Party insurance only, your policy generally doesn’t cover damage to your own vehicle. If the other driver was at fault and insured, their insurer will usually manage the claim for the damage to your vehicle. If they’re uninsured, some Third Party policies include limited protection for damage caused by uninsured drivers, but this varies between insurers, so it’s worth checking your policy wording.

What if I damaged someone else’s vehicle, but not my own?

If you have Comprehensive cover and you’re at fault for damage to someone else’s vehicle, you’re generally covered for that liability, usually with no excess to pay, since the excess typically applies to damage to your own vehicle rather than third-party claims. Check your policy wording to confirm how your specific cover applies.

Frequently Asked Questions

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