What To Do After a Car or Bike Accident (And How To Report It)

Quick answer:
If you are in a car or motorbike accident, focus on safety first. Move out of live traffic if you can, check for injuries and call emergency services. Do not admit fault. Swap details, take photos of everything, collect witness information and then report an accident to your insurer as soon as possible – ideally within 24–48 hours or whatever your policy requires.

At-a-glance checklist: what to do after a crash

1. Get yourself and others out of danger if it is safe to do so.
2. Check for injuries and call 999 if anyone might be hurt.
3. Turn off engines, put hazard lights on, keep people off the live carriageway.
4. Exchange details: names, addresses, vehicle registrations and insurer names.
5. Take photos of the vehicles, damage, road layout, skid marks, weather and traffic signs.
6. Collect witness details and look for dashcam or CCTV.
7. As soon as you are safe, report an accident to your insurer within their stated time limit (often 24–48 hours).
8. If there are injuries, serious damage or any doubt about fault, speak to a car accident lawyer.

Now for the messy, real-life version…

The day my Burger King cost me my Aprilia (and months of hassle)

When I was 18, I had an Aprilia 125 and the kind of insurance that looks good until something actually goes wrong: third party, fire and theft.

I had done the sensible thing. I drove to the bank, put the money in to upgrade to fully comp… and then made one very 18-year-old decision:

"I will get a Burger King first."

Instead of riding straight home and upgrading my insurance, I headed for a Whopper.

I pulled up to a busy roundabout and waited for my gap. Next thing I knew, there was a bang from behind, the world tilted, and I was suddenly on my back in the middle of the roundabout wondering if my spine and my Aprilia were still in one piece.

The wind was completely knocked out of me. A few drivers pulled over and did that concerned-shuffle thing:

"Do you need an ambulance?"
"Are you alright, mate?"

I could not get the words out, but my brain was screaming:
"Turn my bike off!"

Eventually I managed to hobble over, turn the ignition off and drag the bike out of the roundabout.

Mistake number 1: I moved everything before taking a single photo

No position shots.
No close-ups of damage.
No road layout, no skid marks, nothing.

Just me, a crumpled bike and an increasingly sore backside.

I sat down on the kerb – straight into nettles, obviously – and finally my brain caught up with the situation:

"Hang on… what are you actually supposed to do after an accident?"

So I started ticking through my mental checklist:

• Get the other driver's details and insurance
• Call the police
• Call an ambulance if you are hurt
• Get witness details
• Take photos

I did some of it in the wrong order, but I got there eventually. The other driver instantly admitted it was their fault, which helped. I called the police (depending on where you live and how serious the accident is, this can be a grey area), then called myself an ambulance.

Hours later I came out of the system with:

• A bruised coccyx
• Painkillers
• Nightmares for months
• And a new hatred of roundabouts

All because I wanted a Burger King I never actually got.

The insurance saga (and the scooter that saved my sanity)

The insurance story was a whole extra drama.

• The Aprilia was only three months old.
• The haggled, and wouldn't be realistic about the value of the bike: the offers went something like 40% off, then 30%, then 20%.
• I dug my heels in and argued for months.
• In the end, I accepted around 5% off retail value.

To their credit, they did give me a hire scooter while they argued over the numbers. That scooter was ridiculous amounts of fun and pretty much the only nice part of the whole process.

Two years later: "Hi, your bike is still in storage…"

Just when I thought it was over, I got a call from the police nearly two years later.

They politely informed me my old bike was still sitting in storage and I owed fees because nobody had collected it.

Turned out the insurance company had never bothered.

I went to have a look. To my recollection, the storage yard said I could have it for around £500. For some reason, I passed.

To this day I regret not just paying up and wheeling my battered-but-beautiful Aprilia back home.

It also taught me a big lesson: keep track of what happens to your vehicle after a crash. Ask where it is going, who is paying storage and whether it is being written off, repaired or sold.

What you are actually supposed to do after a car or bike accident

Let's turn my slightly chaotic story into a calm, step-by-step list you can follow if you are unlucky enough to end up in a crash yourself.

1. Stop and get to safety

• Stop as soon as it is safe. Do not drive off, even if it seems minor – that can be an offence.
• Switch off your engine, put the handbrake on, turn your hazard lights on.
• If it is safe to move vehicles out of live traffic, do so. If not, leave them where they are and get yourself and any passengers to a safe place.

2. Check for injuries and call emergency services

• Check yourself, your passengers and then others involved.
• If anyone is injured, unconscious, bleeding heavily, complaining of neck/back pain or you suspect shock, call 999/911.
• If the road is blocked, there is a fuel spill or the scene is dangerous, tell the operator so they can send police and emergency services.

3. Exchange details – but only the basics

By law you usually need to give:

• Your name and address
• Your vehicle's registration number
• The owner's name and address if the vehicle is not yours

It is also sensible to swap:

• Phone numbers
• Insurer names and policy numbers if people are willing to share them

Do not hand over your driving licence or let someone photograph it, and do not show your full insurance documents. That makes you vulnerable to fraud and so-called crash-for-cash scams where criminals use your details to take out policies or make bogus claims.

4. Photograph everything before anything moves (if safe)

If it is safe to do so (and you are not standing in the middle of a live lane like I was), use your phone to capture:

• The position of all vehicles
• Damage to each vehicle from multiple angles
• Skid marks, debris and any fluid spills
• Road signs, traffic lights, lane markings and the general road layout
• Weather conditions, visibility and any obstructions

These photos are gold dust later when insurers or lawyers are trying to recreate what happened.

5. Collect witness details and extra evidence

• Ask for names and contact details of anyone who saw the crash.
• Check for nearby dashcams (buses, lorries, taxis, other drivers) and shops or houses with CCTV.
• Make quick notes in your phone while it is fresh: time, date, location, direction of travel, speed estimate, what the other driver said.

Future you will thank past you for giving them something better than, "I think there might have been a lamppost somewhere?"

6. Do you need to call the police?

You usually need to report an accident to the police if:

• Anyone is injured
• Details cannot be exchanged at the scene
• You suspect drink/drug driving or other offences
• There is serious damage to vehicles, property or animals

Where details are properly exchanged and nobody is hurt, some forces treat it as a civil matter for insurers. But in many places, failing to stop and report an accident when required is an offence, with potential fines, points or even disqualification.

If in doubt – ask the call handler or check your local police guidance.

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How and when to report an accident to your insurer

Once the immediate chaos has calmed down and you are safely home (or at hospital), the next key step is your insurance.

Do I really have to tell my insurer if it was minor?

In most cases, yes.

Most policies require you to inform your insurer about any accident or incident, even if:

• You were not at fault
• You are not planning to claim
• The damage seems minor

Failing to do so can breach your policy's terms and may cause problems later if the other driver claims, or if you need to rely on your cover.

How long do I have to report an accident?

The short version: as soon as possible.

The precise time window depends on your policy, but common requirements include:

• Reporting within 24–48 hours of the incident
• Informing the insurer within a few days (for example 2–7 days)

Leave it longer and you risk:

• The insurer refusing the claim for late notification
• The policy being treated as breached
• Problems at renewal because of non-disclosure

If you are unsure about the time limits where you live or in your state, check your policy and look at guides from reputable legal firms. For example, this guide from Roberts Law Firm explains how long you typically have to report an accident to your car insurance company and why reporting promptly really matters.

What should I have ready when I call?

When you ring your insurer, have:

• Your policy number
• The time, date and location of the accident
• Names, contact details and registrations of others involved
• Photos, dashcam footage and witness details
• A simple, factual description of what happened

Stick to facts. Avoid speculating about fault – that is for insurers and, if needed, the courts.

Common mistakes people make after an accident (including me)

Using my Aprilia incident and a few years of hindsight, here are the big errors to avoid:

1. Moving vehicles before taking photos
   I dragged my bike out of the road before taking a single picture. If it is safe, photograph first, move later.
2. Apologising or admitting fault at the roadside
   It is natural to say "I am so sorry" even when you have done nothing wrong. Insurers and lawyers can interpret this as taking blame, so be polite and calm, but do not accept liability on the spot.
3. Not collecting witness details
   Witnesses disappear quickly. Ask them for a quick name, number and email.
4. Not reporting minor accidents
   "We will sort it between ourselves" sounds nice until the other driver changes their story or puts in a big claim months later. That is why insurers and regulators repeatedly stress reporting even minor incidents.
5. Handing over too much personal information
   With crash-for-cash scams on the rise, do not let anyone photograph your licence or full insurance documents. Name, address and registration are enough.
6. Not tracking where your vehicle goes
   My insurer left my bike in storage for nearly two years. I ended up being chased for fees and saying no to buying it back cheaply. Ask where your vehicle is being taken, who is paying storage and what will happen next.
7. Ignoring injuries that seem minor at the time
   Adrenaline hides a lot. If you develop pain, stiffness, headaches or other symptoms later, get checked and make sure it is on record.

If I could speak to 18-year-old me at that roundabout…

If I could tap my 18-year-old self on the shoulder, lying in the middle of that roundabout, I would say:

• Skip the Burger King. Upgrade your insurance first.
• Stay where you are for a moment, breathe and let someone else switch off the bike.
• Get photos of the scene before anything moves.
• Make sure you know where the Aprilia is going and who is paying for storage.
• And if the insurer plays hardball, do not be scared to push back and get proper advice.

You cannot undo a crash once it has happened.

But if you know what to do in those first few minutes – and how to report an accident properly afterwards – you give yourself the best chance of walking away with your health, your sanity and your bank balance more or less intact.