Steps To Take After an Accident

Nobody wants to get into a car accident. But sometimes fender benders happen. How you handle the situation afterwards can affect your personal health, how your insurance carrier will handle the incident, and the overall outcome of the accident.

There are a few general things to consider doing after a car accident. This article from Cars.com lists the steps you should take to ensure that all parties involved in a fender bender are taken care of physically, legally, and emotionally.

1. Think safety first.
It's a given to think safety in a more serious crash, but the after affects of fender-benders can be dangerous too. While in many states, the law requires you to stop after a collision, it's important to pull out of any driving lanes, even if the traffic behind you is stopped. This is to avoid a secondary collision, as well as to not impede traffic flow. 

If you are the front car in a collision, motion to the other driver and have him follow you to the closest spot where there's room for both of you to pull over safely. If you are parked in the breakdown lane, be sure to stay as far away from moving cars as possible as you exchange information and assess damage. 

If you can't move your car out of traffic, stay in the car with your seat belt buckled and call 911. No matter where you are stopped, turn your hazard lights on or put out flares or an emergency triangle if it's safe to do so. 

2. Check for injuries. 
Even in a relatively minor collision, people can be hurt. First, look at yourself, in a mirror if possible. While your adrenaline will be flowing hard, stop and think about if any part of your body hurts or if you are dizzy, short of breath or have other symptoms of an injury. Once you decide you are okay, ask the others involved if they are hurt. If anyone is injured or even seems like they might be, call 911. Unless you have first aid training, don't move anyone who is injured unless they are at risk of further injuries because of their location. 

3. Consider calling the police.
In many states, if no one is hurt, the cars involved are not blocking traffic and damage is under $1000, reporting the accident to the police is not required (New York and Massachusetts are two such places), but you may choose to make the call if you want a police report taken. If you think getting a report of the accident would be helpful in establishing fault or because you suspect fraud, then certainly make the call to request police assistance. 

Sometimes, especially in cities where officers are busy responding to calls of injuries and lawbreakers, the police may not respond to this request for a minor accident. Even if they don't respond, you may be required to file a report yourself, if anyone is hurt or if the damage exceeds a certain amount. Check with your local police, Department of Motor Vehicles or insurance company to find out. Keep in mind though, that in many states, if a police report is filed, your insurance company will be notified of the accident, which could derail you if you have plans to keep the accident quiet, though not reporting it is illegal in many states. 

4. Look for eyewitnesses. 
Noting any eyewitnesses to the collision is a smart move, especially if there's any question of fault in the collision. Go to the eyewitnesses as quickly as possible to get the full name, street address and day and evening phone numbers for each witness. Even if no police report is taken, you can provide this info to your insurance company. 

5. Make a plan if your car is being towed.
If the damage to your car is severe enough that it needs to be towed, take a few minutes to make a plan your next steps. Where do you want the car to be towed? Having it delivered to a dealer, mechanic or body shop you trust is ideal, even if you need to pay a bit because it's being towed further away. If you car is taken to the towing company's yard or other nearby location and you'll want it to go somewhere else later, you could end up paying for a second tow. 

If your car is being towed, make sure to get all of your personal belongings out of it first. If these items are stolen, they won't be covered under your auto insurance, plus they may be things you need later. 

6. Make notes.
In addition to the contact info of any eyewitnesses, take a moment to jot down the time of day as well as the street or highway where the collision occurred and the nearest cross-street or exit -- your insurance company will ask you for these details. It's also a good idea to note the road conditions, the weather, the speed limit sign, traffic signals and accident results, such as skid marks, since your insurance company may ask that information as well. 

7. Take pictures.
If you have a camera, even in a cell-phone, take pictures of the damage (or lack of it) of all the cars involved, as well as any pictures that can help the insurance company understand how the accident occurred and possibly determine fault or fraud. If possible, photograph each car by standing at an angle from each wheel, so one side and either the front or rear of the car is visible in the frame. Take close-up pictures of any vehicle damage (from this accident or not) and, if appropriate, of any people involved. You might also want to photograph the items you took notes on. 

8. Double check the other party's information.
Everyone knows to exchange information, but do so by writing down the info yourself by copying it from the person's driver's license and insurance card versus having them write it down for you. As you copy the info, ask if this is the person's current address and also compare the vehicle description, including the VIN, from the insurance card to the car itself. Make note of any discrepancies. 

9. Call your insurance company. 
Even in a fender bender with minimal damage, you are going to want to call your insurance company (and, in some states, you may be required to do so). Repair costs for even a new bumper and taillight can easily exceed a low deductible, and even seemingly minor damage to a car's exterior can reveal underlying damage once a body shop looks at the car more carefully. Be very cautious if you opt to try to handle the repair costs between the parties involved, check your state laws on this and decide in advance how to handle it if your car repair costs go up if they find more extensive damage once they have your car apart or if a person decides they are injured later. 

10. Consider visiting a doctor.
Even if you are not seriously hurt, it may be wise to see a doctor within the day or so after the crash. Soreness and stiffness can be signs of a more serious injury and if they are, it should be diagnosed and treated promptly. While it's not right to take advantage of the system, it is appropriate to ensure that any medical issues that are a result of the accident are taken care of by the at-fault party. You don't want to wait until months later to discover the lingering problem you have is a result of the car accident.

Car Care in Winter

We finally have a nice day in Pittsburgh.  This is the perfect time to give your car a little car wash care.  What are the best ways to prepare for the rest of winter?  This blog has your answer.  Use the next two days to get your car to Mr. Magic, and you can get that rust causing salt off of your car.

Human beings can't live without salt. It's a necessary nutrient, it's used to seed rain clouds, soften household tap water, make chemicals and, most important, to make ice cream.

In those parts of the country with freezing winter temperatures, drivers know that warming the cars up in the morning isn't the only inconvenience. Icy roads are, too. The same chemical reaction between ice and salt that creates creamy, delicious ice cream also keeps our roads and sidewalks free of dangerous ice during the cold winter months.

A salt and sand mixture is frequently spread over roads before or after a snow or ice storm. Salt lowers water's freezing point, causing any ice already formed to melt even though the air temperature remains well below freezing. The sand helps keep the salt in place, plus it adds a bit of traction to wet and often slushy roads.

While road salting helps people travel safely, it has drawbacks. It can cause major body and undercarriage damage to your vehicles unless you take extra care and precaution.

If you're one of the many who must travel the saline streets in the land of the ice and snow, we have some great tips to help protect your vehicle from the ravages of road salt.

Prevent Winter Damage To Your Car

The snow, ice, and salt this winter in Pittsburgh have been horrible. Your car can still survive.  Here are some great winter tips on how to clean your car off without damaging the surface.  You can learn more at Angie's List.

When snow falls in large amounts, the task of unburying your vehicle can be daunting. It is important to remove the snow properly to avoid unnecessary damage to your vehicle’s surfaces.

People try a variety of techniques to deal with these problems, but sometimes they do more damage than good. We have compiled a list of winter “Do’s and Don’ts” when dealing with ice, snow, and salt on your vehicle.

Snow

-Don’t use a shovel to remove the snow from your vehicle. Even if you are careful, it is very easy to get the shovel too close to the surface of your vehicle.

Both metal and plastic shovels have hard edges, designed to scrape along the ground to remove the lowest layers of snow and ice. These edges will leave deep scratches and gouges in the surface of your vehicle.

-Do use a method and product designed for automotive snow removal. There are products on the market such as the SnoBrum, which has a foam head to do this task. The foam is specifically designed to push snow off of your vehicle without scratching or scuffing the finish. Even your arm is better than a shovel.

Ice

Ice is another wintertime problem. It does not accumulate to the same depths as snow, but just a small amount of ice can be just as problematic as a large amount of snow. Ice can also be more damaging to your vehicle and harder to remove.

-Don’t use an ice scraper on any surface other than the windows. The hard plastic is designed to scrape ice off your windows and is too aggressive to be used on your paint.

Some people use hot water to attempt to melt the ice off the car. While this may appear to work, there are two problematic side effects; the sudden change of temperature from freezing to extremely hot could cause glass to crack and shatter.

Additionally, if the temperature is still below freezing, the water falling on ground will re-freeze, leaving an ice rink where your parking space or driveway used to be.

-Do remove large chunks of ice by lifting them off with your hands. When ice is pushed off the car, the bottom of the sheet will slide along the surface, leaving fine scratches the entire length of the ice sheet.

Turning your vehicle on and letting it warm up before you drive is an effective way to slowly melt the ice off without running the risk of damaging the finish.

Salt

Snow and ice are not the only wintertime hazards that are capable of damaging your vehicle’s finish. The salt that is applied to the roads to help deal with the weather inevitably ends up on your vehicle. Salt will turn even black cars a dirty white. How you deal with this is important.

-Don’t attempt to wipe the salt off of your vehicle without properly washing it first. Salt is very abrasive and when rubbed into the finish, it will leave behind significant scratching and marring. Salt can also corrode any exposed metal, so it is essential that it be removed as quickly as possible to prevent any premature rusting.

-Do use proper methods and techniques when washing your salt covered vehicle. If you are washing your vehicle yourself, be sure to rinse the vehicle thoroughly before you begin washing.

You want to remove as much of the salt as possible to prevent it from being rubbed into the surface during the washing process. If you take your vehicle somewhere else to be cleaned, be sure to make note of their processes as well.

When going to an automatic carwash, only the touch-less kind should be used. If brushes or foam strips come into contact with your vehicle, they will be carrying all of the salt and grime that they picked up off everyone else’s vehicles.