The scene of a car accident can be scary and stressful, but if you know exactly what to do the whole process can go a lot more smoothly. Here are a few things to keep in mind:

– If you are not at fault in an accident it is not necessary for you to get your insurance company involved. You can put the claim in directly through the other party’s insurance company and they should take care of it all. If, for some reason you do have to put a not at fault claim in through your company you will be subject to your deductible before the repairs are made. They will of course reimburse you once they get the money from the other company, but it takes much longer. So remember, if you for are not at fault you don’t need to call your company!!

– If there is no injury at the scene of an accident there is a good chance the police will NOT come to do a police report. That means it is entirely up to you to get the other drivers information. Get their name, contact phone number, insurance company, and policy number. It is not a good idea to give your address at the scene of an accident because you never know what could happen with a stranger, so let your company take care of that information.

– If the police DO show up at the accident, there is a good chance they will collect the insurance information from all drivers. However, it is still a good idea to get the other drivers information if they are willing. If you wait to get the police report that could take up to 10 days. That means it will take up to 10 days to even get your claim started! That is a long time to wait, especially if you do not have another mode of transportation. If you get the information from the other driver at the scene, you can get your claim started right away.

– Keep an updated insurance ID card in your vehicle at all times. This card will have all the information you need to give the other party, as well as the phone number for your company to call in your claim. If you have a young driver, keep them informed about what to do a the scene of an accident to insure that they get all the correct information.

As always, if you have any questions or are not getting the help you need from the company, call your agent! We are here to help you understand what is happening with your claim and help you get it resolved as quickly as possible.

Drive safe!!