Ensure Your Drivers Safety With Accident Reports

How does it work?

If a driver gets into an accident, they can use RAM Assist to alert the fleet manager of everything that has happened. The report has been designed in a way that if the driver is feeling shaken up by the event, they can voice record a note of what happened, additionally, the voice recorder can be used to get eyewitness reports of what has happened as additional support for the driver if they were not at fault. 

Immediately after the accident

You may think you know exactly how to respond in the event of an accident, but when an accident occurs and adrenaline is running high, how you would react on paper could be very different to how you react in this high-stress situation. 

How to deal with an accident:

• Stop the care as soon as it is safe to do so - it's illegal not to
• Turn your engine off
• Switch on your hazard lights so other drivers can see you
• Check yourself and then check any of your passengers for any injuries
• If you have had a minor collision and no injuries have been sustained, make a note in the event that the other vehicle tries to claim for an injury
• You should call the emergency services if anyone is hurt of if the road ahead is blocked
• You need to try to remain calm, it's easy to be shaken up by the situation but it's imperative that you do not lose your temper - take a few deep breaths and take the situation in

One of the most important factors after an accident

• Do not apologize or take the blame for the accident, this helps protect you from liability if you weren't actually at fault, but you have taken the blame in the heat of the moment.

When should I call the police?

Sometimes, it is appropriate to bring the police to the scene of the accident. You should call the police if:

• The other vehicle has left the scene of the accident and has not swapped information with you
• You believe that the driver might not have insurance (or they have specifically told you this) or they may possibly be under the influence of drugs or alcohol
• You believe that it may be a crash-for-cash scam

However, you must report the accident to the police and your insurance. Whilst it may be tempting not to as you don't want your insurance to increase, but there are ramifications to leaving the scene of an accident:

• Fines ranging from $400 to $2000
• License suspended for up to 2 years
• Jail time depending on the accident

Exchanging motoring details

It's important that drivers from both vehicles take the time to get out of their vehicles and swap information, you can't leave the scene without leaving your details or the else you risk the police getting involved.

• You must exchange your name and address with all involved parties if the accident caused damage and/or injury 
• You must exchange your insurance information and details with the driver of all involved parties
• Take down the information of your passengers and try to get the information of any witnesses too
• Find out if the driver is the registered owner of the vehicle, if not, you need to find out who the owner is and get the that information from them too
• If a foreign lorry is involved it's important to get the numbers of the lorry as well as the trailer as they can be different. It's a good idea to take down the name of the company too

What needs to be recorded at the accident scene?

Getting information from the accident will reallt assist your side of the case, so if you are in a condition to do so, we recommend that you record the following:

• Details of all other parties vehicles including; make, model, colour and the number plate - we recommend taking some photos as it will mean everything is available in one photo
• The date and time the crash occured
• The conditions at the time of the crash including; weather, visibility, lighting, even the road quality
• What damage has been sustained to each vehicle and where
• Have any injuries been sustained? Who by and where?
• The names and details of any witnesses

Additionally, if your vehicles has damaged private property or a parked vehicle you need to leave a note somewhere that can be seen by the owner. Your honesty may be your savior, as if CCTV or a dash cam caught it and you leaving the scene, you'll end up in serious trouble.

Accident reporting in RAM Assist

We designed RAM Assist's accident reporting to be a simple process - after an accident, you don't want to have an incredibly long form to fill out. It remembers your licence based on your log-in credentials and gets your location through GPS. Then it's time to fill out a few bits of data:

Incident details

• What type of incident has occured?
• A voice recording of what happened?
• Have you sustained any injuries?
• What date and time did this happen?

Other parties

• Was there another vehicle involved in the accident?
• Are there any witnesses to this incident?

Images

Take some images of the following:

• Your own vehicle
• Any other parties vehicles
• Scene and surroundings

It's as easy as that to report an accident.