What to do after a car accident

At the scene, in order

• ✓Make the scene safe: hazard lights, vest, warning triangle before getting out. A second collision at the same spot is common.
• ✓If anyone is injured, call 144. Do not move them unless there is immediate danger.
• ✓Call the police if there are injuries, if you disagree about what happened, if a foreign vehicle is involved, or if public property or an animal is affected.
• ✓Fill in the European accident statement and have the other driver sign it. A signed form is worth infinitely more than an argument.
• ✓Take photographs: the position of the vehicles before moving them, the damage, the plates, the signs, the road surface.
• ✓Note the other driver’s name, address and insurer, and the details of any witnesses.

Who pays for what

The liability cover of the driver at fault pays for the OTHER party’s loss: their vehicle, their injuries, their property. It pays nothing for your own car — this is the most common confusion, and it surfaces at the worst moment.

Your own damage falls under casco. Partial casco covers what you did not cause — hail, theft, glass breakage, animals. Comprehensive adds your own damage, including your own fault. Without comprehensive cover and at fault, your car is on you.

Report the claim to your insurer without delay: the deadline is in your general conditions, and a late report can reduce the payout.

What is paid for years afterwards

A claim does not cost the price of the repair: it costs the repair plus a higher premium for several years, because your bonus level jumps up by several steps at once.

For a small claim that is your fault, do the sums before reporting: ask your insurer which level would apply, multiply the increase by the number of years needed to come back down, and compare with the garage’s quote.

In liability, by contrast, always report. It is not you who claims but the injured party, and it is for the insurer to decide whether their claim is well founded.