Car insurance - Tips & Advice - Road Safety

Do you know what to do if you have a crash? Follow the correct protocol to ensure that you don’t come to further harm. Knowing how to make a claim on your Direct Line car insurance and taking advantage of the benefits it brings could also save you further stress, money and time…

Dealing with injury

It is important to act quickly and effectively if anyone has been hurt in a crash. The first step you should take is to dial 999 and report the incident to the ambulance service and the police. Basic first aid can be vital in these circumstances and it is worth equipping yourself with this knowledge. You can find helpful details on this, including practical advice on courses you can take, from the St John Ambulance at www.sja.org.uk/sja/first-aid-advice.

Legal requirements

By law you must stop if there is injury or damage to another person, vehicle, property, and certain animals, as a result of a crash in which you are involved. You must also exchange your details – name, address, telephone number, vehicle registration, car insurance company and policy number – with any other people who are involved in an accident with you. Try and get details from witnesses too. If someone leaves the scene without giving you their details then try to note their vehicle details – colour, make and registration number – and call the police to report the incident.

Collecting evidence

Try and get as much evidence as possible from the scene of the crash, such as where the accident happened, what time, how it happened and who was involved. You should also note skid marks, directions of travel and collision points. Taking photos of the scene, including any damaged vehicles, can also help when making a claim. If your mobile phone has an inbuilt camera then this is ideal. If not, you may want to keep a disposable camera in your car for this purpose.

Avoiding disputes

Never admit blame or liability for an accident or offer to pay for any damage. You must also tell your insurer if any other person admits blame. It is also a condition of your Direct Line car insurance policy that you let us know about an accident even if you don’t plan to make a claim. For these purposes you should keep a note of the Direct Line accident helpline in your vehicle at all times. Lines are open 8am to 9pm Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm on Saturdays and 11am to 5pm on Sundays.

Arranging repairs

With all Direct Line car insurance claims, a Personal Claims Advisor will be provided to deal with your car repairs immediately. This removes the hassle of arranging the work yourself and of having to get an estimate approved first. For a small additional premium you can add our guaranteed hire car to your policy. This ensures that, while your vehicle is being repaired, you have a vehicle to drive until it is fixed, or a cheque issued, for up to a maximum of 14 days. Adding our legal protection to your policy can cover the costs of recovering uninsured losses, such as personal injury and car hire.

Making a claim

There are many benefits to be gained from investing in Direct Line car insurance where accidents are concerned. For example, if an accident is your fault, then it is good to know that you are fully covered for costs claimed against you by all our car insurance policies (third party only, third party fire and theft and comprehensive cover). If you have our comprehensive car insurance then you are also covered for the damages to your car. We also insure our comprehensive policyholders against uninsured drivers – if you are in an accident with a driver that is not insured, you will not lose your no claims discount or have to pay an excess, providing the incident was not your fault. You can find full details of what is and what is not covered on our online car insurance policy documents. If in doubt you can always give us a call.

We know being involved in an accident can be stressful, so we want to make any claim and repair processes as quick and easy as possible. If you don’t have car insurance with Direct Line, then find out what great value cover we offer by checking out our range of insurance and applying for a car insurance quote today.