If you are unfortunately involved in a minor traffic accident, there are certain steps you need to take to make sure you can file an insurance claim correctly.
A car collision is always a scary event. Even if it’s a minor one, it can give you a terrible shock. As well as checking that you and everyone else in the car is ok, you’ll be worrying about the car itself, if it will be able to run properly or even be road worthy.
It can be difficult to keep a clear head in these situations, but there are certain steps you should follow and important points to remember about what you should to in order to be able to make a claim with your insurer.
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Step 1) After checking that you and the people in the other car are all ok, the first step you need to do is to try to move your vehicle to the side of the road to avoid obstructing traffic and get yourself to a safe place. Turn on your hazard lights and put on your reflective vest before exiting the vehicle.
Step 2) The next step is to is gather as much information as possible about what happened, so it’s fresh in your memory, as well as details about the other car involved.
Note down:
- The other driver’s licence plate number
- Their car model
- The colour of their vehicle
READ ALSO: What you need to do if you’re in a road traffic accident in Spain
Step 3) You should aim to complete La Declaración Amistosa de Accidente (DAA) or Friendly Accident Report. This is a form that insurers advise you keep in your car at all times for situations like this when you might need it.
It’s a legal document that insurance companies are required to provide to drivers. It records all details regarding the incident and serves to expedite administrative procedures and compensation claims. It also ensures data for both vehicles is properly recorded and also lets you describe the circumstances of what happened at what each car was doing when the collision occurred.
For this you will also need:
- The other driver’s contact phone number
- Their full name
- Their ID or NIE number
- Their insurance company information
If you don’t have the form, then you should note down all this information anyway. There is also a box for you to be able to draw a sketch of what happened. This can be a bit daunting if you’re not good at drawing, but try as best you can, anything can be helpful for insurers.
It’s important that both parties sign the agreed accident report. This means that both agree to the details in the document, giving it full validity. If the agreed accident report is not signed by both parties involved, it cannot be used as evidence.
READ ALSO: What’s the law on dash cams in cars in Spain?
Step 4) If the other driver is unwilling to cooperate, then make sure you get the licence plate number at least, as this is one of the most important pieces of information. Try to take photos of the incident too, such as any damage to your vehicle, the other car, the position of them.
If the other car simply drives away or is not helping in any way, you may need to try and do a bit of detective work yourself to get some more details. Allianz Direct recommends contacting nearby establishments that might have security cameras that recorded the accident. The relevant authorities may also have information about the incident.
Due to data protection laws, the insurance company themselves cannot request the information so you need to be able to do it yourself and pass the information on.
Step 5) If necessary, you may need to call the police. This may be the case if the other driver isn’t cooperating or tries to pin the blame for the accident on you, even if it wasn’t your fault. The police will remain impartial and aim to resolve the conflict.
Police reports are also important for your legal protection and for filing insurance claims, so you’ll want to keep these as evidence.
Step 6) Once you have the other party’s details, the form and the police report the next step is to submit an accident report directly to your insurer.
For some this can be done online, while for others, you may need to call them to give them all these details over the phone. You’ll want to do this as soon as possible after the accident, there’s typically a maximum of seven days in which you can report it, but it’s best to do it that same day if you can, so you remember the details clearly.
They may need to contact you for follow up questions or they may be able to process the claim with everything you’ve given them. It can take from a few weeks up to a few months for you to receive a response and find out if you claim was successful and how much the payout will be.
