Road users owe each other a duty of care to ensure they take all reasonable care to avoid causing damage to each other. Therefore, if the driver of another road vehicle is careless and collides with your car, they have breached their duty of care to you. If you bring a claim for compensation against the other road user, you can expect to recover damages for any injuries or financial losses that were directly caused by their negligent actions.

Top tips for what to do after an accident that wasn’t your fault

  1. It may seem obvious, but it’s easy to forget to stop your car and turn the engine off in the aftermath of a collision. Make sure you do so.
  2. Put on your hazard lights.
  3. Take a moment to calm yourself and to ensure you are not injured.
  4. Check if any passengers in your vehicle, the other driver, or any passengers in their vehicle are injured.
  5. If anyone is hurt, call the emergency services; call the police in any accident that has caused the road to become blocked.
  6. Exchange details with the other driver: name, phone number and ideally their address and insurance details if they have them to hand.
  7. Call for the police in circumstances where you suspect the other driver has been drinking or is under the influence of drugs or where the other driver leaves or attempts to leave the scene without exchanging their details with you.
  8. At a later stage, but as soon as you can, report the matter to your insurers. If you didn’t get the other driver’s insurance details at the time of the accident, call them as soon as possible, and pass the details to your insurance company.
  9. If you were injured in the accident but didn’t attend hospital immediately, make an appointment to see your GP as soon as possible. If you feel your injuries warrant it, visit the A&E department of your nearest hospital.
  10. If you were injured in the accident and decide you want to claim compensation for personal injury from the other driver, contact a personal injury solicitor to discuss the matter with them whilst the circumstances of the accident are still fresh in your mind.