Were You Involved in a Car Accident? Never Admit Fault or Do Any of These 4 Things

Since we spend so much of our time in cars, and there’s more on the road than ever before, the chances that you’ll find yourself in a car accident at least once is incredibly high. When you do eventually find yourself in an incident, you may find yourself in a bit of shock, which means you may not be aware of what you’re saying.

However, this can cause some problems. As soon as you say ‘sorry’ or apologize in any way, this means you’re claiming liability for whatever it is you’ve supposedly done, even if you didn’t, and you’re just being polite.

Today, we’re going to explore the four main things you should never admit fault for. By waiting until after you’ve gone home after a little bump or wait until the emergency services have arrived before you give your statements if you’ve been involved in a car accident, here are the four things you need to avoid doing or saying.

#1 – Don’t Say ‘Sorry’

As we mentioned above, it’s important that you don’t apologize for anything until you start giving official statements or witness statements. If you say ‘sorry’ to anything, this is only going to place liability for anything in your court, even if you’re not actually at fault.

The best way to approach this is not to say anything at all, apart from handing over your personal information or calling the police. Don’t answer any questions if you don’t want to and wait until you’re level-headed enough to

give the correct answers.

#2 – Don’t Try & Negotiate a Deal

Whether you’re in the wrong or not, it can be tempting to try and strike a deal with the other driver without getting the police or insurance companies involved. This can be a nice idea because the other driver might offer you a lot of money, or you may know you’re at fault, but don’t want the strikes against your record.

However, any deal you may outside of the official process, whether that’s agreeing on a monetary sum or personally paying for repairs, is not guaranteed and you may be left in more trouble than if you took an official route. It’s always best to do everything by the book for your own protection.

#3 – Don’t Forget the Details

After any kind of accident, it’s natural to feel shock or embarrassment, and it’s a very common thing to want to leave the situation as quickly as possible. Nevertheless, before you leave, you want to make sure you have all the details to help fight your case.

This means taking down their phone number and name (making sure you call the mobile number to check if it’s real. If you have a camera phone, take photos of the damage on both yours and their vehicle, and of the surrounding area. In some cases, you may even what to take statements from onlooking witnesses.

#4 – Always Tell Your Insurance Company

In most countries in the world, failure to tell your car insurance company of an incident you were involved in is illegal, and if you do try and claim against your insurance or have a query, they can refuse to pay any fees or help you, which is only going to leave you in more trouble.

The longer you leave the report to your insurance company, the more skeptical they’ll be of its authenticity and the less likely they will be to help you. In short, make sure you’re notifying them as soon as possible to help fight on your side.

Summary

While it’s understandable that being in a car accident can be a stressful time, it’s important you remain calm, collected and focused on what you’re doing. By making sure you cover everything, remain neutral and say (or don’t say) the right things, you can make sure the incident is dealt with as fairly as possible.