What do you have to do after a car accident?
Stop and give your name, address and registration to anyone with reasonable grounds to ask. If you can't do that at the scene, report the accident to the police. Then tell your own insurer.
That's the legal core, and it's shorter than you might expect. Nothing in it makes you admit fault, apologise or explain what happened at the roadside.
Two things change the picture. If someone other than the driver is hurt, a separate duty about your insurance applies. And if you're in Northern Ireland, a different law applies, with tighter wording on when to report.
Everything below sticks to the scene and the first day. It sits with our other accidents and claims guides.
What does the law require at the scene?
In England, Wales and Scotland the duties come from section 170 of the Road Traffic Act 1988. The Highway Code repeats them as rules 286 and 287. They're short.
Stop, and give your details if asked
You must stop. Then, if anyone with reasonable grounds asks, you must give three things:
- your name and address
- the name and address of the vehicle's owner
- the vehicle's registration, which the Act calls its identification marks
Fault doesn't come into it. Ask the Police, the Police National Legal Database's advice site, points out that these rules make no reference to blame. So you must follow them even when the crash wasn't your fault.
Who can ask for your details?
The Act says any person having reasonable grounds, and it doesn't define that. Gov.uk gives one example, an insurance company.
I'd read it as anyone with a real stake in the accident. That means the other driver, someone who was hurt, or the owner of the wall you hit.
A police officer has separate powers. Under section 165 of the same Act, an officer can require your name and address, the owner's name and address, and your insurance evidence.
What you don't have to do
Section 170 asks for your details and nothing else. There's no duty in it to admit fault, apologise or describe what happened.
Citizens Advice goes further and tells drivers not to admit at the scene that it was their fault. So be polite, check everyone's all right, and swap details. Blame usually gets settled later, between the insurers.
Where the duty applies, and where it doesn't
Section 170 only applies to an accident on a road or other public place. And it only applies when the accident does one of these:
- injures a person other than the driver
- damages another vehicle
- damages an animal, other than one in your vehicle or trailer
- damages property fixed to, growing in or forming part of the land at or beside the road
Your passengers count as other people, so an injured passenger in your own car brings the duty in.
Animal has a narrow meaning here. It covers a horse, cattle, ass, mule, sheep, pig, goat or dog, so a cat isn't on the list.
Say you slide on ice and dent only your own car, with nobody else hurt and nothing else damaged. Section 170 doesn't apply to that.
Private land is less clear. Ask the Police says some car parks count as public places and gives supermarket car parks as an example. A private car park the public wouldn't ordinarily be allowed into may not count. If you're in doubt, its advice is to report to the police and be guided by them.
When do you have to tell the police?
Not every time. Say both drivers stopped and swapped names and addresses, and nobody was hurt. Then there's no legal duty to report, and Ask the Police says the police won't take a report.
Two situations change that in England, Wales and Scotland.
If you didn't give your details
If for any reason you didn't give your name and address at the scene, you must report the accident. The report is made at a police station or to a constable, meaning a police officer. You must make it as soon as is reasonably practicable and, in any case, within 24 hours.
The 24 hours is a backstop. Ask the Police spells it out: this doesn't mean you have 24 hours in which to report. It also says you can't make a legally required report by telephone, only in person at a station or to an officer.
And if you did swap details at the scene? Then this duty never starts, because the 24-hour limit belongs only to a report you're required to make.
If someone else was injured
An injury to someone other than the driver adds a second duty, about insurance. You must produce your certificate of insurance, or other evidence of cover, at the time. You produce it to a police officer, or to anyone with reasonable grounds who asks for it.
If you don't, you must report the accident and produce the evidence. The same limit applies: as soon as is reasonably practicable and, in any case, within 24 hours.
If the certificate isn't in the car, section 170(7) allows for that. You won't be convicted just for failing to produce it if you produce it within seven days of the accident. It has to go to the police station you named when you reported.
That grace covers the paperwork only. The report itself still has to be made in time.
There's one exemption: the insurance duty doesn't apply to the driver of an invalid carriage. That's the Act's term for a light vehicle built specially for a disabled person's use.
999 or 101?
Call 999 if anyone is seriously hurt, or likely to be. Call 999 too if the road is blocked or traffic is building up dangerously. Those are the road accident examples Ask the Police gives for a 999 call.
Gov.uk's general rule is 999 when someone is in immediate danger, and 101 for non-emergencies. Highway Code rule 283 says to give the emergency services the location and details of any casualties.
A phone call isn't the legal report, though. If you owe a report under section 170, make it in person.
Is the law different in Northern Ireland?
Yes. Section 170 covers England, Wales and Scotland only. Northern Ireland has Article 175 of the Road Traffic (Northern Ireland) Order 1981, as amended by a 1995 Order. The shape is familiar, but the wording isn't the same.
What Article 175 says
You must stop and then you must stay. Article 175 says to keep the vehicle at or near the scene for a period that's reasonable in the circumstances. You give the same three details, to any police officer who demands them and to anyone else with reasonable grounds.
It covers more damage. The duty applies to damage to any property except your vehicle, property in or on it, and property of the driver or owner.
Reporting is quicker. If you don't give your details, you must report the accident "forthwith", and there's no 24-hour figure in Article 175. Northern Ireland's Highway Code puts it as reporting to the police immediately.
An injury means a report either way. If the accident injured another person, you must report it forthwith, whether or not you gave your details.
Whenever Article 175 makes you report, you must also produce your insurance certificate with the report, if the vehicle is a motor vehicle.
The seven-day grace in the GB Act doesn't appear in Article 175. Northern Ireland's Highway Code says to produce the certificate as soon as reasonably practicable. Article 175 does give a defence to a driver who had good cause and reported as soon as was reasonably practicable.
So don't carry the 24-hour figure across the Irish Sea. In Northern Ireland, report straight away.
Do you have to tell your own insurer?
Tell them, even if you won't claim. But know where the duty comes from, because it isn't the Road Traffic Act.
It's a policy condition, and there's no single deadline
Gov.uk says you must report the accident to your insurance company, even if you're not planning to make a claim. That's gov.uk's wording, and it names no law behind it. The Road Traffic Act 1988 has no section requiring you to tell your own insurer about an accident. The duty sits in your policy.
That's why there's no single deadline: each insurer writes its own.
Admiral's Your Car Insurance Guide (AD-003-040) says to tell it within 48 hours of any incident, regardless of fault. Direct Line's policy booklet (reference 1225) gives no number and asks to be told as quickly as possible even if you don't claim. Citizens Advice says to tell your insurer straightaway.
So ignore any single figure quoted for every insurer. The 24 hours in the Act is about reporting to the police. It only applies when details weren't given, or when someone other than the driver was hurt and insurance wasn't produced at the time.
Your own deadline is in your policy booklet. Look under the claims section or the general conditions.
Why tell them if you're not claiming?
Because the other driver might claim. You may not want your own car fixed on the policy, but the other side can still claim against you. Your insurer is the one who deals with that. Direct Line's booklet gives much the same reason: it wants to contact the other party and resolve the entire claim.
Missing the condition can cost you too. Admiral's booklet says failing to comply could result in the claim being refused, the policy being cancelled, or both. That's one insurer's wording, not a rule for all of them, so read yours.
When you ring, say whether you're claiming or reporting for information only, and keep a note of when you called. I'd make that call the same day, whatever the booklet allows.
What happens after the first day?
That depends on who contacts you. Each route has its own guide.
- If the other driver's insurer or a claims firm rings, read what to do when a third-party insurer calls before you agree to anything.
- If you were injured and a claim is starting, see the official claim portal or a solicitor.
- If your car was hit while parked and the driver left, see what to do about a hit-and-run on a parked car.
A crash can also follow the car. Our guide to checking a car's accident history explains what can show up later.
You might end up shopping for a replacement. Our free car check shows a car's MOT record, the history of its annual roadworthiness tests, from the number plate.
A short first-hour checklist
This list isn't a legal procedure. The legal duties are the ones above, and this is just a sensible order to do things in.
- Stop somewhere as safe as you can, and put your hazard lights on.
- Check for injuries, and call 999 if anyone's seriously hurt or the road is blocked.
- Swap names, addresses and registrations. If the car isn't yours, give the owner's name and address too.
- Take photos and get witness details. Citizens Advice suggests both, in case you need evidence later.
- Don't discuss blame, because the law doesn't ask you to.
- Couldn't give your details? Report to the police as soon as you reasonably can.
- Tell your own insurer, and check your policy for its deadline.
Common questions
Do I legally have to report a car accident to the police?
Not always. In England, Wales and Scotland, you must report if you didn't give your name and address at the scene. You must also report if someone other than the driver was injured and you didn't produce insurance evidence at the time. The report must be made as soon as is reasonably practicable and, in any case, within 24 hours. If you swapped details and nobody was hurt, there's no legal duty to report. Northern Ireland's rules are different.
What details am I legally required to give after a car accident?
Three things: your name and address, the vehicle owner's name and address, and the vehicle's registration. You give them to anyone with reasonable grounds to ask. If someone other than the driver was injured, you must also produce evidence of insurance. You don't have to give a statement or say who was at fault.
Do I have to tell my insurer if I'm not going to claim?
Tell them. Gov.uk says you must, even if you're not planning to claim, and Citizens Advice says to do it straightaway. The duty comes from your policy, not from the Road Traffic Act. That's why the deadline differs between insurers, so check your own policy booklet for yours.
Is the law different in Northern Ireland?
Yes. Northern Ireland uses Article 175 of the Road Traffic (Northern Ireland) Order 1981. It says to report "forthwith", and it has no 24-hour figure. If another person was injured, you must report whether or not you gave your details. You must also keep your vehicle at or near the scene for a reasonable period.
What happens if I don't have my insurance details on me at the scene?
Under section 170, which covers England, Wales and Scotland, it matters when someone other than the driver was injured. You must then report the accident to the police. You do that as soon as is reasonably practicable and, in any case, within 24 hours. You have seven days from the accident to produce the certificate, at the police station you named when you reported. Northern Ireland's Article 175 has no seven-day figure.
Do I have to admit whose fault it was at the scene?
No. Section 170 requires you to stop and give your details. It doesn't require an admission, an apology or an account of what happened. Citizens Advice tells drivers not to admit fault at the scene, and Article 175 in Northern Ireland doesn't ask for an admission either.