The first half hour after an accident decides what the next month looks like: a well-documented scene leads to a smooth claim, while a rushed departure leads to long disputes. This article sets out the on-scene order – calm, easy-to-follow steps you can recall even under pressure.
- Safety comes first: hazard lights, hi-vis vest, warning triangle – call 112 straightaway if anyone is injured.
- The blue-and-yellow accident statement is the key document for your claim – call the police if there's a dispute or an injury.
- Photograph everything: vehicles, number plates, the scene, skid marks – and get witnesses' contact details.
1. Safety and protecting life
Before anything else: hazard lights on, engine off, hi-vis vest on, and set out the warning triangle at the distance required by the rules – outside built-up areas this can be genuinely life-saving. If anyone is injured, call 112 straightaway for an ambulance and the police. In an accident with injuries, police attendance isn't optional but a required step – the report they draw up becomes the basis for the claim later on.
If the vehicles are still drivable and only property damage occurred, move to a safe spot without blocking traffic and continue documenting there – but photograph the original scene first, if you can do so safely.
2. The accident statement – half the battle
Filling in the blue-and-yellow accident statement is the most important piece of paperwork at the scene: the vehicles' and insurers' details, a sketch of the scene, the circumstances, and both drivers' signatures. The numbered fields are the same in every language, so it works with a foreign party too. Filling it in is not an admission of liability, just a record of the facts; for a detailed guide see filling in the accident statement, and in printable form: the checklist.
If liability is disputed, the other party won't cooperate, or you suspect they've been drinking: call the police. A verbal 'we'll sort it out between us' with no document is the most common source of evidence problems later on.
3. Photos, details, witnesses
Take more photos than you think you need: the vehicles' position relative to each other from several angles, close-ups of the damage, number plates, skid marks and debris, road conditions and signs, and the other driver's registration and insurance details (also recorded on the statement). Witnesses' names and phone numbers can be worth their weight in gold if there's a dispute. For the full photo checklist, see the on-scene photo guide.
4. After the scene: two directions for reporting the claim
The claim doesn't end at the scene – it starts there. As the at-fault driver, you need to report the event to your own insurer within the deadline set under the rules in force – see reporting as the at-fault driver. As the injured party, your claim starts with the at-fault driver's insurer, through their claims line or online portal – see claiming as the injured party. The same rule applies here: the primary route for reporting a claim is always the insurer's claims line; if the case gets stuck or becomes disputed, I help the client, as a broker, where I can – that's covered in the article on broker support.
What NOT to do at the scene
Alongside what to do, there's also a list of what to avoid. Don't admit liability on the spot – the statement records facts, and assessing fault is the claims handler's job. Don't settle in cash without a document – after a quick cash handover, the other party's claim can still surface weeks later, but you'll have no evidence left. Don't move the vehicles before taking the full-scene photos, if it's safe to stop and photograph. Don't let the other driver leave without their insurance details – that's the most common gap you'll have to fill in later. And don't argue at the scene: a dispute calls for the police, not raised voices. A calm, documenting mindset isn't weakness – it's what gets your claim through in days rather than weeks.
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