No one wants to think about having to make a car insurance claim. However, knowing what to do if you do have an accident or if something happens to your car can make the process a lot less painful.
How to make a car insurance claim. Image by sylvar via Flickr.
Here we explain what to do if you have an accident and how to make a car insurance claim.
- Details, details, details. If you damage a car or property or injure a person while driving a car you should give your name and address, the vehicle owner’s name and address and the registration of the vehicle to anyone who has reasonable grounds to need them. If you don’t provide these details you must report the accident to the police within 24 hours. You must do this even if you are not going to claim on your car insurance. You should also note the time and date of the accident, the weather conditions and how the accident happened. Get details of the other driver or injured party if there is one.
- Tell the police. If the other driver doesn’t have car insurance you should report the accident to the police and your car insurance company who will be able to help you. It’s important that you don’t admit liability if you have an accident.
- Make a claim. When you come to make a car insurance claim you will need to fill in the details of the claim for your insurer. It’s important that you give all the details accurately and completely. If the claim is for theft or another crime you will need to have and provide a crime number from the police. Once you contact your insurer you will usually be sent a form to complete and have to provide any other documents.
Car insurance claim checklist
To help you make a successful claim:
- Don’t admit liability at the scene of an accident.
- Exchange details with the other driver, name and address and registration,make and model of the car.
- Note the time, date and location of the accident and make a drawing of the accident if possible.
- Get a crime number from the police if the car insurance claim is as a result of a crime such as theft or vandalism.
- Complete all details on the claim form and provide extra details if required.
Notify your insurer even if it’s only a minor accident – failure to do this could invalidate your car insurance.
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