Considering the number of road accidents that occur every year throughout the UK the average motorist is surprisingly undereducated on what to actually do if they are involved in one.

If you are involved in an accident then there is going to be all manner of things running through your head – what will I do with my car? Do the police need to be involved? How do I prove it wasn’t my fault?

It's important to remain level headed however, as there are things that you need to do right away to ensure the safety of anyone involved and that will help establish any subsequent insurance claim.

If anyone is injured then obviously the first thing you should do is call an ambulance and the police. The police will also be required if any roadside lamp posts, bollards, signs etc are damaged. Once the police arrive they will take accounts from everyone on the scene, along with breath testing those involved.

The police will also request that you produce your driving licence, insurance documents and MOT certificate, if not at the scene then at a local police station within a week. Before leaving they will issue you with a Police Accident Report number, which will be required by your insurance company.

Following this, it is vital that you exchange details with anyone involved and try to get the details of any 3rd party witnesses, who will play an important role in helping the insurance companies decide who is responsible. The main details you need to exchange are contact and car details.

If your car is rendered immobile then the police may have already called a pickup truck, either way you will need to call your insurance company to inform them of the crash and if required they will send out a pickup truck.

Assuming you have fully comprehensive insurance then the cost of this and any repairs will be covered, all you will be required to pay is any excess. With 3rd party insurance you will need to cover the repair costs yourself, if this is not possible then you should talk with your insurance company.

As you can see car insurance is a real must, as the repair costs can easily be in the thousands, especially if the car is a write off. With the wealth of car insurance products on the market it is easy to compare car insurance and find a good deal.