What to do after a car accident in the UK

Your first steps after a car accident

The most important thing is to slow everything down. In the first few seconds after a collision it is easy to react on adrenaline, but a clear sequence keeps you and others safe and makes everything that follows easier.

Work through these car accident first steps in order. If the situation is serious, injuries and safety always come before paperwork.

• Stop the car and switch off the engine. You are legally required to stop after any accident that causes damage or injury, however minor it seems.
• Turn on your hazard warning lights so other traffic can see you.
• Check yourself and your passengers for injuries, then check the other vehicles involved.
• Call 999 if anyone is hurt, if the road is blocked, or if you suspect the other driver is under the influence or has driven off.
• If it is safe and the vehicles are driveable, move them out of the flow of traffic to a hard shoulder, verge or side road.
• If you cannot move the vehicles, keep everyone well away from moving traffic and behind a barrier where one exists.
• Put on a high-visibility vest if you have one, especially in poor light or bad weather.

Your legal duty to stop and report

Under the Road Traffic Act, if you are involved in an accident that causes injury or damage to another person, another vehicle, an animal or property, you must stop and stay at the scene for a reasonable time. This applies even if you believe the accident was not your fault.

You must give your name and address, and the vehicle owner's details if that is not you, to anyone with reasonable grounds to ask, such as the other driver or a police officer. If you do not exchange these details at the scene, for example because the other party has left or there is nobody to give them to, you must report the accident to the police as soon as you can and within 24 hours.

You also need to produce your certificate of insurance if a police officer asks for it, or report to a police station within seven days. Failing to stop or report can be a serious offence, so treat these duties as non-negotiable no matter how small the incident feels.

Exchange details with the other driver

Once everyone is safe and any emergency calls have been made, exchange information calmly with the other people involved. Try not to discuss blame or admit fault at the scene, even to be polite. Insurers decide liability later based on the facts, and an off-the-cuff apology can complicate a claim.

Collect the following from every other driver involved, and give them the same in return.

• Full name and a contact number.
• The make, model, colour and registration of their vehicle.
• Their insurance company and, if they have it to hand, the policy number.
• The name and address of the vehicle owner if the driver does not own it.
• The names and contact details of any independent witnesses.
• The attending officers' details and an incident reference number if the police come to the scene.

Take photos and record the scene

Good evidence protects you if there is a dispute about what happened. While the details are fresh, record the scene carefully. Modern phones make this quick, and a few extra photos are always better than too few.

Capture the wider scene and the specific damage, then make a short written note of anything that a photo cannot show.

• Wide shots showing the position of all vehicles and the layout of the road.
• Close-ups of the damage to every vehicle involved.
• Any skid marks, debris, road markings or damaged property.
• Road signs, traffic signals and the general road conditions.
• Weather, light and visibility at the time, plus the date and time.
• A quick note of what happened while it is fresh, including the direction each vehicle was travelling.

Report the accident to your insurer

Tell your insurer about the accident even if you do not intend to make a claim and even if the damage looks trivial. Most policies require you to report any incident within a set period, and the other party may make a claim against you later without warning. Reporting early protects your position.

When you get in touch, have your policy number, the details you exchanged at the scene and your photos ready. Give a factual account of what happened and let the insurer guide you on the next steps. If your vehicle needs repair or recovery, ask what your policy covers before you commit to anything, as some policies include recovery and courtesy car cover and others do not.

When the car needs recovery, not a roadside fix

Some accident damage is cosmetic and the car is perfectly safe to drive home. Other damage is not, and driving on can be dangerous or make things worse. If you are in any doubt, do not drive the vehicle. Treat recovery as the safe default rather than the last resort.

A roadside fix is rarely the answer after a collision. Breakdown patrols are equipped for mechanical faults such as a flat battery or a puncture, not structural or crash damage. If any of the signs below apply, the car needs to be recovered to a garage or a safe place rather than driven.

• Fluid leaking onto the road, which could be oil, coolant, fuel or brake fluid.
• Damage to the wheels, tyres, suspension or steering, or the car pulling to one side.
• Warning lights on the dashboard that were not there before, especially airbag, brake or engine lights.
• Bodywork or a bumper that is loose, dragging or fouling a wheel.
• Damaged, cracked or missing lights that leave the car unsafe or illegal to drive after dark.
• A bonnet, boot or door that will not close securely.
• Any airbag that has deployed, which usually means the vehicle should not be driven.
• A windscreen cracked in your line of sight.

How Recovr arranges recovery after an accident

Recovr is a UK breakdown and recovery marketplace that connects drivers with nearby vetted operators in real time. It works like an on-demand service: you request help, you are matched to an available operator close to you, and you can follow their vehicle to you on a live map. Recovr is launching across the UK in 2026.

When your car is not safe to drive after a collision, you can request recovery through Recovr and be matched to a local operator who can move the vehicle to a garage, your home or another safe place. Every operator on the platform passes identity, business and anti-money-laundering checks plus insurance verification before they can go online, so you know who is coming.

Pricing is clear before you commit. All prices include VAT, and the final price is confirmed before any extra work begins. You are not charged until you confirm the operator has arrived by giving them a 4-digit arrival PIN, so nothing is taken until help is genuinely with you. It is worth remembering that National Highways data released under FOI and reported by PA recorded 251,448 breakdowns on England's motorways in 2024, a 47 percent rise since 2014, so being clear on how to get help matters more than ever.

Recovery after an accident is different from a mechanical breakdown, but the calm, ordered approach is the same. Make everyone safe, meet your legal duties, gather your evidence, speak to your insurer, and get the car moved by a trusted operator when it cannot be driven.