No one expects to be in a car accident, but there are certain things you can do whenever you get in the car to make sure if the unexpected does happen – you are prepared.
A. ALWAYS wear your seat belt. Wearing a seat belt reduces a front seat occupant’s risk of fatal injury by 45% and a moderate to critical injury by 50%.
B. Make sure your car has insurance
C. Make sure you have enough insurance to cover your car, the other vehicles, drivers and passengers and pedestrians.
D. Do not purchase the minimum amount of insurance required by law, but always try to purchase a higher amount that you can afford in order to protect yourself.
E. My rule of thumb is to buy enough insurance so that if you had a catastrophic accident you would still be able to sleep at night knowing you had sufficient insurance to protect your assets and your family’s financial future.
F. Make sure your vehicle is in good repair in order to avoid accidents due to mechanical failure.
G. Make sure your breaks are in good repair so that you can stop in an emergency
H. Make sure you know the directions on how to get where you are going before you begin the trip so that you can concentrate on your driving.
I. Try to carry flairs or warning signs in case you become stranded on the road.
J. Make sure you have proof of insurance and your driver’s license with you at all times – without them you can receive a large fine even if the accident isn’t your fault.
K. Make sure you have a camera, while most phones have cameras on them if yours does not, simply buy a disposable camera and keep it in the glove compartment. If an accident does occur, you’ll want make sure you get photos of not only your damage, but the other vehicle’s damage as well. While you’re taking photos, ask to snap a photo of the other person’s driver’s license, tags and insurance card. Often people at the scene of an accident are nervous and insurance claim numbers can be written down incorrectly or incompletely, having a photo of this information avoids any confusion later on.
L. Speaking of writing down information, keep a pen and paper in the glove compartment as well. If your phone dies or your camera fails, you’ll still be able to write down key information.
M. Even if a police officer responds to the scene and tells you that all the information you’re requesting will be on a police report – GET THE INFORMATION ANYWAY. Often police reports can take weeks to be ready, delaying the process of getting the at fault vehicle’s insurance company to accept liability.
N. Keep a First aid kit in your car.
O. Finally, speaking of our office, make sure to keep at least one card from The Law Office of Marc J Atas and Associates in your glove compartment. The sooner you call us, the sooner we can get your claim open and take all the steps necessary to get you back on your feet and g et your car back on the road.
If you have any questions give us a call at The Law Office of Marc J Atas – 410-752-4878.
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