- Call the emergency services if there are any injuries, damage to either vehicle involved, or if you believe you are not at fault. Having a police report is your best defence during an insurance investigation. If the police will not come to the scene, be sure to ask them why and let us know their reason.
- Collect the following information:
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- If someone was injured, note whether the individual was taken from the scene in an ambulance, and find out which hospital they were taken to.
- Record when (date and time) and where the incident happened.
- Get the contact details for all parties involved, including the driver's name (and vehicle owner, if different from the driver), phone number, address, licence number, insurance company and policy number, vehicle registration plate number and vehicle identification number (VIN).
- If there was damage to an object (fence, sign, post, etc), get the contact information of the owner.
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- Protect your version of the incident:
- Take pictures of all damage and the scene of the accident. This is very important for any insurance claim that might be filed.
- Get independent witnesses. Your passengers, family and friends do not count as independent witnesses. If any other bystanders witnessed the incident, ask for their contact details and get them to write down what they saw.
- Take note if any party apologises or accepts responsibility for the incident. If possible, get it in writing and notify us of this information. You can even call us on 0333 240 9000 and put the other party on the phone with us.
- Then call us on 0333 240 9000 to tell us there's been an accident.
- Once you're back home safe and sound, we'll need some documentation about the incident. See point 2.
- If you have completed steps 1-5, then go do something nice for yourself. After all, you did everything you could just the way we needed you to.
Unfortunately your Zipcar membership will be suspended until we obtain all of the details about the accident. For insurance purposes, we have to complete a thorough investigation, but you will be notified as soon as your account is reinstated. This process usually takes about two weeks.