File photo.
MINOR accidents, or bumper bashings, are realities for every motorist.
It is important to know what to do should you find yourself in this situation.
What you need to do when it happens:
- You need to stop your car, put the hazard lights on and ensure that nobody is injured.
- If there are no medical injuries and the damage to the vehicle is minor, move the vehicles to the side of the road to prevent disrupting traffic.
- If a vehicle can’t be moved, a towing service needs to be called.
- Ensure a proper assessment of your vehicle is done and, if you can, take pictures of the damage to all the vehicles involved.
- Take note of all road names, landmarks, intersections and robots as you will have to draw a sketch and description of the accident on your police report, and for insurance purposes.
Information you need from the other party when in an accident:
- Full names (first and middle names, initials and surnames)
- ID number
- Car registration number
- Address
- Cellphone number and other telephone contact details (work and home)
- Insurance company details
- Make, model and colour of the other vehicle
- Date and time of the crash
- Details of any witnesses
