Things you should not do after causing a traffic accident

Most drivers on the road are likely to get into or cause a car accident at least once in their lifetime no matter how good their driving skills are.

So, if you are unfortunate enough to be involved in a traffic accident, you need to take steps to ensure your safety. In addition, there are some things that you should never do after an accident.

Leaving the scene

In any case of traffic collision with another vehicle, even if the damage is insignificant, you must always stop, check the condition of the vehicle, the health of other people involved, contact the insurance company and report to the police.

On the contrary, if you run away or leave the scene to avoid responsibility, you have committed an act prohibited by law according to Clause 17, Article 8 of the 2008 Road Traffic Law.

The law requires that the driver and those directly involved in the accident must remain at the scene of the accident until the police arrive.

Additionally, if someone is injured, it is your responsibility to assist the injured person including taking the victim to emergency care if necessary.

So if you are in this situation, be professional, stay and help others involved. Put yourself in their shoes because one day you will be the victim too, right?

Do not call the traffic police

For many people, when a traffic accident occurs, if no one is injured, it is not necessary to call the police and report the incident. But this is actually a very bad idea, why?

Let’s say you and the other driver agree to let the insurance company handle everything and not report the accident to the police. However, if you’re dealing with an uninsured driver, the deal may not be as smooth as you think.

If you do not report the scene of the traffic accident to the police, it is very likely that the victim will record it and make accusations and claim damages.

Therefore, reporting to the police will help speed up the process of confirming the truth of the matter, and at the same time create benefits for yourself in some necessary cases.

Lose your cool

Being involved in a car accident is never a pleasant experience, and can be emotionally devastating. However, you should never lose your cool, especially if you are the driver who caused the accident.

When an incident occurs, get out of the car and go towards the crashed car. Instead of blaming or scolding others, the first thing to do with the victim is to ask "Are you okay?", make sure everyone is safe, and be polite.

You need to be in a clear mind to assess what has happened and do everything necessary to establish a record of the accident. In addition, another thing you should not do at the scene of a serious traffic accident is to tell people that it was your fault.

If you do this, you are admitting legal responsibility for the accident, leaving you open to compensation or other legal penalties. It is up to the traffic police to investigate and make a decision.

Forget to write down the necessary things

You stay at the scene of the accident, call the traffic police to avoid being an irresponsible person. So what else do you need to do? First, do not forget to record the exact process of the collision and check the insurance information from the car.

Second, try to clear your mind and figure out exactly what happened. What were you doing right before the accident? Which direction were you going? Which road were you on?...

Finally, you need to get the name, address, insurance company name and policy of the injured driver, and note the make, color and license plate number of the car they were driving.

See if there are any witnesses, if so get their names and phone numbers. Don't forget to take some photos of the accident scene, these may be useful in the insurance claim process later.