What to do after a car accident in the UK: step by step
A car pulls out of a side road and you hit it. Work through what to do at the scene and afterwards.
The short version
- Stop, hazard lights on, engine off, then check for injuries.
- Anyone hurt: call 999. Keep them still and give them nothing to eat or drink.
- Swap names, addresses and registrations, take photos, and do not admit fault.
- No details swapped: tell the police within 24 hours. Tell your insurer straight away.
Step 1
You hit the side of the red car at low speed. Your airbag did not go off.
What do you do first?
✓ Stay stopped, switch on your hazard lights and turn off the engine. You MUST stop after any collision that causes damage or injury. Hazard lights warn traffic behind, and turning the engine off cuts the risk of fire.
Why not the other options
- ✗ Drive on and park round the corner. Leaving the scene before giving your details is failing to stop, a serious offence that can bring a driving ban.
- ✗ Jump straight out to look at the damage. Check your mirrors and the traffic first. Opening your door into moving traffic can cause a second crash.
- ✗ Reverse back straight away to clear the road. Find out whether anyone is hurt first. Moving a car can make an injury worse and loses evidence of how it happened.
Step 2
The other driver gets out, holding their neck. They say it really hurts.
What should you do?
✓ Call 999, ask for an ambulance and give the exact location and what happened. A neck injury needs checking by paramedics. Give the road name or a landmark, how many people are hurt and how badly.
Why not the other options
- ✗ Tell them to drive home and see a doctor if it gets worse. Neck and back injuries can be serious and get worse. Someone in pain should not drive, and help should come to them.
- ✗ Give them a sugary drink from your car. The Highway Code first aid advice is to give an injured person nothing to eat or drink. They may need treatment.
- ✗ Help them walk up and down to loosen it. Do not move an injured person unless they are in danger. Keep them still, warm and calm until help arrives.
Step 3
Where should you and your passenger wait for help?
✓ On the pavement, away from the cars and the traffic. Get uninjured people out of the road to somewhere safe. A following driver could still hit the cars.
Why not the other options
- ✗ In the road beside the cars, waving traffic past. Standing in the road puts you between the crash and moving traffic. Leave directing traffic to the police.
- ✗ Back in your car with your seat belts on. That is the advice when you cannot get out safely, such as in a live motorway lane. Here the pavement is right there and safer.
- ✗ Leaning on your car so nobody moves it. Never wait next to a car that is still in the road. If it is hit, you will be too.
Step 4
The other driver is calmer now and asks for your details.
What MUST you give them?
✓ Your name and address, the car owner's name and address, and the registration. This is the legal minimum after a collision causing damage or injury. Swapping insurance details as well makes the claim easier.
Why not the other options
- ✗ Nothing until the police arrive. You MUST give your details to anyone with reasonable grounds to ask, such as the other driver. Refusing can mean you have failed to stop.
- ✗ Just your mobile number. A phone number is not enough. The law asks for names, addresses and the registration.
- ✗ Your driving licence for them to keep. Never hand over documents. Give the details they need and keep your licence.
Step 5
They say: "Let's just agree it was both our faults, it's simpler."
What do you say?
✓ Stay polite, stick to the facts, and leave fault for the insurers to decide. Most policies ask you not to admit liability at the scene. Being calm and factual is not the same as saying it was your fault.
Why not the other options
- ✗ Agree, to keep things friendly. Accepting blame at the scene can be used against you and may go against your insurance policy.
- ✗ Argue until they admit it was them. Arguing helps nobody and can turn nasty. Note what they said and let the insurers deal with it.
- ✗ Offer them cash so nobody has to claim. Injuries and hidden damage can show up later. Your policy still expects you to report the collision.
Step 6
While you wait, what should you record?
✓ Photos of both cars, their positions, the damage, plates and road, plus witness names and numbers. Evidence taken at the time settles arguments later. The person on the pavement saw it happen, so ask for their details.
Why not the other options
- ✗ Nothing, the insurers will sort it out. Insurers decide fault from evidence. Without photos and witnesses it becomes your word against theirs.
- ✗ A video of the injured driver to post online. Filming someone injured to share is unkind and can harm your case. Photograph the vehicles and the scene.
- ✗ Only the colour and make of the other car. That will not identify it. Get the registration, the positions and the damage too.
Step 7
Imagine the other driver had driven off without giving any details.
What should you do?
✓ Report it to the police as soon as you can, and within 24 hours at the latest. If details are not swapped at the scene, the collision MUST be reported to the police within 24 hours. Give them the registration if you got it.
Why not the other options
- ✗ Wait a week in case they get in touch. The 24 hour limit does not wait. Report it straight away.
- ✗ Chase after them. A chase puts you and others at risk and you may be driving a damaged car. Note the registration and call the police.
- ✗ Nothing, because it was not your fault. The duty to report applies to every driver involved, whoever was to blame.
Step 8
Someone was injured and you did not have your insurance certificate with you.
What MUST you do?
✓ Report it to the police within 24 hours and show the certificate within 7 days. When someone is hurt and you cannot produce your insurance at the scene, you MUST report it and then produce the certificate within seven days.
Why not the other options
- ✗ Email it to the other driver when you get home. The legal duty is to the police, not the other driver.
- ✗ Nothing, insurance is checked automatically. Police can check the database, but the law still requires you to report and produce the certificate.
- ✗ Tell your insurer at renewal. Tell your insurer as soon as possible, and the police within 24 hours.
Step 9
When should you tell your own insurer?
✓ As soon as possible, even if you do not plan to claim. Most policies require you to report any collision promptly. Leaving it can void your cover if the other driver claims later.
Why not the other options
- ✗ Only if you want to claim. The other driver may claim against you weeks later. Your insurer needs to know now.
- ✗ Only if the police came. Police attendance makes no difference to what your policy asks.
- ✗ At your next renewal. Waiting until renewal is too late and could count as non-disclosure.
The rules behind it
- Rule 286 After a collision that causes damage or injury you MUST stop and give your name, address and registration to anyone with reasonable grounds. If you do not, report it to the police within 24 hours.
- Rule 283 At an incident: stop safely, hazard lights on, engines off, no smoking, call 999 with full details, do not move injured people unless they are in danger, and stay until help arrives.
- Rule 116 Hazard warning lights are for when you are stopped and causing a temporary obstruction. You MUST NOT use them while driving, except briefly on a motorway or unrestricted dual carriageway to warn of a hazard ahead.
- Annex 7 First aid on the road: deal with danger, get help, keep casualties warm and still, give them nothing to eat or drink.
- Rule 276 After a breakdown, get off the road if possible, use hazard lights if you are an obstruction, wear something bright, put a warning triangle 45 m behind (never on a motorway) and never stand between your car and traffic.
- Road Traffic Act s170 The law behind the duty to stop, give details and report a collision within 24 hours.
- Insurer advice Most UK motor policies ask you to tell your insurer about any collision promptly and not to admit liability at the scene.
- Rule 287 If someone is injured and you cannot show your insurance certificate at the scene, you MUST report to the police within 24 hours and produce it within 7 days.
More situations
Based on the Highway Code and the Road Traffic Act 1988 as published on GOV.UK in October 2026, in our own words; follow the links for the full text. Insurance points are common UK insurer policy terms, so check your own policy. This is not legal advice. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.