As a driver there comes a time in your driving life that through no fault of your own or sometimes perhaps even by an oversight, you will have an accident with your car. The question is, what do you do if you have an accident with a car that you have insured with an insurance company? There is a lot of information that you should equip yourself with about claiming when you have an accident with your car. Some of these are:

You should first check the severity of the damage to your car to see whether it will be better not to claim as this may affect your no claim bonus, because if you lose part or all of your car insurance no claim bonus, this may cost you more. In such a case, it would be better to fix the car with your own money.

If you are sure that you need to make a car accident claim after your car is damaged, you will need to phone your insurance company to let them know about the accident as soon as you can. You should remember to ask the company to send you a claim form, and do not forget to note the name of the insurance company staff member you speak to.

If you have an accident in which the other person’s car, but not your car, is damaged you will have to report the accident to your insurance company, because the damaged car’s owner might want to make a claim against you. So it is important that your insurance company knows about this information at the earliest opportunity.

After an accident with your car, you should try to have about two estimates for the car repairs. Be aware that the insurance company may want to come around to inspect the extent of the car damage, therefore wait to see what the company intends to do before you start the repairs on your car.

Fill in the insurance claim form when it arrives and return it together with the car repair estimates. You should do this even when you are not so sure if you want to make a claim. You can even attach a written note stating that it is only for information purpose and that you may change your mind later and make a claim if the need arises. Make sure whatever format of information you send to the insurance company that you have a copy of your own.

The company should be able to get back to you with a confirmation letter within a week of receiving your claim form. If you have not heard from them within this time period, phone them to know what you should do next. If you are told to go ahead with the repairs, make sure you get the name of the person from the insurance company you speak to.