Even if the car owner is an excellent driver with many years of driving experience, this will not insure him 100% from getting into traffic accidents, because, unfortunately, there are always “reckless” drivers drunk on the roads, as well as those who neglect the rules of the road movement. Due to the increase in the number of cars on the road every day, the percentage of accidents also increases, so any driver must know what to do in case of an accident, whom to contact and where to call during an accident.
The first actions in an accident
Never leave the scene of an accident. This action falls under Article 12.27 of the Code of Administrative Offenses, according to which you can be punished by deprivation of rights for up to one and a half years or by administrative arrest for 15 days. Moreover, if due to an accident there are bodily injuries, then this could threaten the restriction of freedom up to five years.
It is necessary to stop immediately and not touch objects related to traffic accidents. If you remove the car from the road or touch things that lie inside, you can destroy the evidence, and then it will not be possible to find out whose fault the accident occurred.
Then turn on the alarm and set the warning triangle, which should be at a distance of about 20-30 meters from the scene of the collision. If there are victims, you must call an ambulance.
Be sure to write down all the names and car numbers of witnesses. These also include all persons who were currently in your car. Witnesses can be asked to write their testimony, which will be recorded in the administrative protocol. In addition, it is advisable to take some pictures from the scene.
Where to call in an accident?
If there are victims, first of all, as mentioned above, you need to call an ambulance at 03. From a mobile phone 003 - Beeline, 030 - Tele 2, Megafon and MTS. Often, when they get into traffic accidents, people don’t know where to call in case of an accident, or they just forget because of the very logical stress experienced. However, the help of a medical team is not always required. What to do in this case?
For those who don’t know where to call in case of an accident, if there are no victims, we answer: you should contact your local police department by dialing 002 - Beeline, 020 - Tele 2, Megafon and MTS from your mobile number. They will notify the traffic police about the incident. After an accident, the traffic police (or rather, the traffic police) records the fact of the accident and the damage received, and also finds out whose fault it occurred. In no case do not succumb to the persuasion of other participants in the incident to resolve all issues on the spot if people were seriously injured in an accident.
Then you need to call the insurance company where your insurance was issued, and notify it of what happened. You will need to name your name, place of the accident, as well as the number of the insurance policy. Many companies advise their customers by phone, and some send an emergency commissioner to the scene of an accident, acting as an intermediary between the client and the police and protecting the interests of the driver.
If you are guilty of an accident, the insurance company must pay the amount of insurance compensation to the injured person within 15 days, equal to the amount of damage caused, but not higher than the maximum insurance amount.
Accident without insurance
According to the SDA, the driver is required to have an insurance for compulsory motor third-party liability insurance (compulsory liability insurance). Difficulties that could aggravate the situation for the guilty driver if he got into an accident:
- no car insurance
- the insurance policy is expired
- the amount of damage caused by him significantly exceeds the amount that his insurance company can cover.
In such cases, drivers “fly in”, as a rule, with very big money, which will have to be paid for many years.
In order to never get into such situations, it is necessary to have a valid OSAGO policy from a reliable insurance company, since it is better to pay several thousand rubles once a year than to pay tens of times more for a damaged car. At the same time, at any time the traffic police can stop the car to check the documents, and if the driver does not have insurance, he will have to pay a fine of 500 rubles.
After the arrival of the traffic police
Even if you believe that it is you who are responsible for the accident, do not rush to admit it. It may turn out that both drivers are guilty, or even the car service in which your car was repaired.
When drawing up the accident diagram and the administrative protocol, make sure that all important circumstances and damage associated with the accident (the place of the accident, signs of braking, the presence of road signs, visibility, talus of dirt and glass, weather conditions) are recorded. Make sure that the protocol records the maximum details of the incident.
Carefully read all the documents that you sign (protocol, schemes). If you don’t agree on something, make your own corrections or refuse to sign. If the protocol has not yet been completed or is empty at all, do not sign it at all.
Write down all the details of the second party (full name, phone number, address of residence, place of work), because if the opposite side is guilty, you need to know where to find it for making claims.
Abroad on your own car
If you plan to travel abroad on your vehicle, you should definitely have a Green Card with you. It will help the culprit of the accident compensate for the damage to the foreign driver. Do not give the original to anyone. If necessary, provide a copy of this document or write down the card number and expiration date in the protocol.
What to do if you have an accident abroad
- Be sure to note as much information as possible about the second driver: his initials, address of residence, contact phone number, number and duration of the insurance policy.
- All participants in an accident must receive a copy of the protocol. If this document is not given to you, ask for it.
- In no case do not lose documents related to the accident. They will allow you to freely leave the country in which the accident occurred.
- If you do not know the language of the country in which you had an accident, you must enter this information when signing the protocol.
- Inform the insurance company of your country about the accident in which you issued the Green Card.
And the last, most important advice: do not get the Green Card in dubious organizations, because if it suddenly turns out that this document is a fake, you may not be released from the country or detained at the border.