Three Pieces Of Information The Other Driver In An Accident Must Provide
While getting car insurance quotes is an important part of protecting yourself against accident liability, arming yourself with information is equally important. If you don't perform certain actions during an auto accident you could end up missing out on all of the insurance benefits that are owed to you. Use this accident information to help you navigate your next accident better.
When you get into an accident, there are key pieces of accident information you need to gather. First, you need to gather the other driver's contact information. This includes name, address, phone number, place of employment and work phone number. The place of employment and work phone number can be extremely important later, so don't neglect them: if anything goes to collections or lawsuit those pieces of information could wind up being vital.
Next, you need to gather up all of the driver information. This includes the driver's license number, insurance company policy number, and the other driver's agent's name and phone number. If you get the chance to jot down the other driver's birth date from his driver's license it might not be a bad idea either–again, this can help people find the driver if the driver tries to disappear. The mere existence of an insurance card does not prevent this; some people carry insurance cards for policies they haven't paid on in some time, and thus are not covered. In this instance, the driver could be liable for thousands of dollars, and they often try to hide as soon as they drive away. Skip tracers, private investigators or process service then have to spend time trying to locate them. The only leads they will have are the information you put together for them. Don't rely on the police report to handle this for you: do it yourself so you can be sure everything is there.
Finally, you need to take the driver's statement. This is his version of the events of the accident. You will also want to write down your own statement. The details of the accident are fresh in your mind right now and this is your best chance to avoid forgetting something important later.
As you can see, understanding insurance does not stop at getting car insurance quotes. Make sure you know how to file claims. Make sure you know exactly how you are covered. Moreover, make sure to be thorough with your information gathering in the event of an accident. That piece of information you decide it's "okay" to do without might have been the information that ultimately got your claim paid.
