There has been a crash! Create accident report correctly
10. Oct 2022 | By Malena Gärtner
On German roads, accidents happen about 10 times a minute. Of course, vehicles from your fleet will at some point also be involved in accidents. If your employees react correctly, everyone involved can save a lot of money, time and nerves.
The correct behavior in the event of an accident
Keep calm. Think of your safety and that of your passengers. Turn on the hazard warning lights. Take your Safety vest , - which is handy in the car - and carefully get out of the car. Put on your safety vest. Get the warning triangle out of the car and set it at least 150 m behind the car. If someone is injured, give first aid. You can also call for help via the Emergency call 112 to alert the police and rescue services. This is now the worst case scenario. An accident with property damage and personal injury. Most accidents are minor. In the case of minor damage, you can preserve the evidence yourself.
Tip :If you are unsure: Call the police and describe the accident to them. The officers will assess the situation on the phone and decide whether they need to come or not. If you have a minor accident, the facts have been clarified and there is no personal injury, then you usually do not need the police. Make a note of the name and office of the police officer, then you have a contact person in case of queries.
Was the accident caused by alcohol or drugs? Does the other party live abroad or is the car registered abroad? Then call the police in any case.
If your employee is at fault , immediately inform your insurance. Don't let time pass unnecessarily. The insurance company will take care of everything. Compensation and damage to other people will be covered by liability. Damage to the car of the fleet will be covered by comprehensive insurance. If your employee was injured, contact the opposing insurance company.
Minor damage - procedure
What do you do in the event of minor damage? Even in such cases, the first thing you should do is secure the accident site. Leave the vehicles parked for a short time. More important are names, addresses and telephone numbers of all parties involved in the accident. Exchange all contact and insurance information with the other party involved in the accident, preferably using your insurance company's service card.
Let possible witnesses not just walk away. Talk to them and write down their contact details. Witnesses can be questioned afterwards by the police about how the accident happened. If the damage is minor, you can clear the road. If the accident is more severe, please leave cars parked.
Take care of the damage inventory by taking photos of the accident from different perspectives with your smartphone. Details of the accident scene are important: a skid mark, torn off parts, etc. Take photos of the damaged vehicles. It is best to walk around the vehicles once.
Photograph the License plate. Maybe no one contacts you after the accident or you can't reach anyone. You can use the license plate number to locate the insurance company of the vehicle involved in the accident. Then you can file a claim.
Before leaving, check that your car is still roadworthy. Clean up the scene of the accident and take your warning triangle with you. Inform your insurance company as soon as possible (maximum one week).
Very important: Under no circumstances should you leave the scene of an accident, even if you only hit a parked car. Of course you think: "Oh God! The third accident in two months! The fleet manager will be furious!" Please behave correctly. Hit-and-run is a criminal offense and much more serious than a fender bender.
Minor damage - the accident report
As a template accident report you should have the european accident report form in your car, preferably with a pen. It is ideal especially as an accident report in the fleet, as it contains all the important information. The european accident report is available as an app or you can download the template free of charge on the internet. Fill out the accident report form, it says everything you need to consider. It is best to prepare it together with the other party involved in the accident. The european accident report template is valid throughout Europe, you can also use it in the event of an accident in another european country. If you travel abroad a lot, print out the accident report free of charge in several languages.
On the accident report form, both sides can present their version of how the accident happened. Driver A can tick, for example, "car drove in the traffic circle". Driver B states: "car turned into the traffic circle". You can use a sketch to record how the accident happened in the report. Both drivers sign. The accident report free of charge has a carbon copy, both drivers can take one copy.
A correct assessment of how the accident occurred is important for any claims settlement. The Accident report in the fleet must be correct and detailed, as well as the sketch.
- Each accident vehicle must be assigned to a car driver on the sketch.
- The direction of the road and the different lanes must be clearly visible.
- Clearly indicate the position and direction of travel of vehicles involved in an accident.
- Draw in any existing traffic signs, streetscapes, or traffic signals.
- Draw in parked vehicles, nearby pedestrians, or possible obstacles.
If you do not have a sample accident report, write the accident report yourself. Use the W questions as a guide.
- When did it happen?
- Who was involved?
- Where did it happen?
- What happened?
- How did it happen?
- Why did it happen?
- With what consequences?
... Silence is gold .
Signing the accident report sample is not an admission of guilt, it is only a recording of the facts. Under no circumstances should you sign an admission of guilt. Even if you are solely to blame for the accident or your counterpart is trying to put you under pressure. You must not admit anything without consulting your insurance company. The insurance company clarifies the question of guilt. With an admission of guilt, you are prejudging the insurance company. If it turns out that you are not at fault or only partially at fault, there will be problems with your own insurance company. You may even have to pay part of the damage yourself.
You are alone when the accident happened?
What if you hit a parked car? You must wait a reasonable amount of time at the scene of the accident. Otherwise, behave as you would if you were involved in an accident with someone else. Take photographs of the damage. Fill out the accident report. Leave your contact details with a brief description of the accident. It is best to inform the police. Then it is officially established that you did not commit a hit-and-run.
The accident happened in another European country?
Even then, the procedure is the same. You are dealing with an insurance company that is based abroad. Be sure to note the following information in the accident report: In which country did it happen? Which country is the party involved in the accident from? When was the accident? Take a photo of the license plate of the party involved in the accident. If the insurance company has not contacted you after three months, you can find out where the other party in the accident is insured throughout Europe by calling the Central Call Service for Car Insurers.
This directive applies to all countries of the European Union, additionally in Liechtenstein, Norway and Estonia.