COPY THIS PAGE AND PUT IT IN THE GLOVE BOX OF YOUR CAR
IF YOU HAVE BEEN IN AN ACCIDENT: 1. Stop your car and safely move if off of the roadway or to a safe place. If your car cannot be moved, activate the emergency flashers. 2. Assist anyone who has been injured. Do not move anyone who is seriously injured, unconscious or who is unable to move because of a neck or back injury unless absolutely necessary. Call for an ambulance immediately. 3. Call 911 and request the police and, if necessary, an ambulance. 4. Obtain the name, address and telephone number of all witnesses. 5. Obtain the name, address and telephone number of all other drivers involved in the accident. 6. Obtain the name, address and telephone number of the passengers in all vehicles. 7. Record the license plate number (including state of issuance) and vehicle I.D. number (VIN) of all vehicles involved in the accident. The VIN can usually be found by looking through the windshield on the top of the dashboard in one corner. 8. Exchange insurance information with all other drivers. Be sure to get not only the name of the insurance company, but also the policy number. 9. Make a sketch of the accident showing the location and movement of all vehicles. Write down the streets involved and note any type of trafic controls (stop signs, traffic lights, yield signs, etc.). 10. If the accident is on a highway, note the nearest mile marker. 11. Take pictures of the damage to all cars, making sure to include the license plate of each car in at least one picture |
SOME ADDITIONAL LEGAL CONSIDERATIONS*:
1. Never leave the scene of an accident without exchanging information with the other driver(s). It's against the law! 2. Cooperate with any police officer who comes to the scene. If requested to by the police, you must submit to a Breathalyzer, blood or urine test. If you refuse, you will automatically lose your license for one year, whether or not you are intoxicated. 3. Do not admit that the accident was your fault. Fault is a complicated legal issue and depends on many factors. 4. Make a note of any statements the other driver(s) makes. *I have applied Pennsylvania law although the laws of many states are quite similar (c) 2013 Alan Schnoll |