Statistically speaking, a car accident occurs every twelve seconds in germany. Even though most of the accidents are minor, many questions are asked. These relate to the correct behavior at the scene and after the accident. From the securing the accident site about the documentation until the settlement of the damages after the accident the challenges are many. Here you can find out what to do in the event of a car accident.
Securing the accident site
The highest priority is to secure the accident site. In the interest of traffic safety you should warn other road users of the accident site as soon as possible. First of all you should turn on hazard warning lights and then warning triangle position yourself at the correct distance. Already when setting up the warning triangle, you should warning vest worn in order to be visible from a distance to other road users. If it is an accident within shot towns and villages, the warning triangle should be at a distance of at least 50 meters be placed. In case of an accident on a road are at least 100 meters distance to the warning triangle recommended.
If you have an accident on the highway, we recommend a distance of 150 to 300 meters.
When setting it up, make sure that it is clearly visible. This also applies to places that are difficult to access or to see, for example curves. The triangle should be placed at the edge of the lane or hard shoulder. It must be taken into account that secondary accidents can occur as a result of an inadequately secured accident site. In this case you will receive a warning fine. If personal injury occurs as a result of the accident due to the accident site not being secured, this can be interpreted as negligent physical injury.
In the event of personal injury: first aid
At each accident must be clarify whether any persons involved have suffered damage. Even if the accident appears harmless at first glance, possible injuries should always be clarified. If a person has been injured first aid to perform. Possible errors in first aid are not legally problematic. Failure to provide assistance, on the other hand, is a punishable offense (see §323 C of the German Criminal Code) and is punishable by a fine or even imprisonment.
In case of injuries the emergency call 112 to notify. In the event of acute problems, it is part of the assistance provided to carry out first aid measures independently.
document the accident site
After you have reported the damage, you will receive an email from us with a damage report attached. It is therefore important that you carefully document the location of the accident and the damage caused. The documentation should meaningful photos as well as the completed accident report contain. In the case of serious accidents involving major damage to property or personal injury, the police will also police will also take statements from witnesses record.
When photographing the scene of the accident, it is sufficient to take pictures with your smartphone. Each party involved should take their own photos, because the other party is not obligated to provide photos of the accident scene. With the photos you should both the own damaged vehicle and the opposing vehicle involved in the accident
take into account. Other things can also be important for the reconstruction of the accident, for example skid marks or skid marks. The damage caused should be recorded in detail. It is advisable to use an object as a scale for the damage, for example a folding rule.
The accident site should be different viewing angles be photographed. This also includes surrounding traffic signs or objects that give an indication of the accident.
your information in our damage report should include at least the following information:
- Names and addresses of all persons involved in the accident
- Place and date of the accident
- Names and addresses of possible accident witnesses
- Information on the course of the accident
- Description of visible damage, photo documentation of damage
- Signatures of the parties involved
Since the accident report is an important basis for the subsequent claim settlement, you should not do without it. this also applies if other parties involved in the accident do not wish to make a report.
There is legal obligation to exchange personnel between the parties involved in the accident. Anyone who fails to provide personal details and leaves the scene of the accident is guilty of hit-and-run driving. Leaving false information is also a hit-and-run offence. If someone leaves the scene of the accident without permission, you should contact the central call number of car insurers. Based on the license plate number of the other party involved in the accident, it is possible to determine his liability insurance.
When must the police be informed?
The police should be informed in any case, if in the accident damage to property or personal injury occurred. Likewise, you should notify the police if your opponent in the accident hit and run or there is no agreement between the parties involved in the accident. Also, people who caused the accident should notify the police if the owner of the other vehicle cannot be found. An example is damaging parked vehicles. If you do not notify the police in such a case, you are committing a hit-and-run offence.
In the case of more harmless damage, so-called minor accidents, it is not mandatory to notify the police. If the scratches are only minor, the police do not have to record the damage. In this case, it is even more important to inform the police report the damage directly to cuno.
Possible examples for your behavior in the event of a claim:
If, for example, you have drive on the freeway and hit a rock get, you must inform cluno, but not the police.
But if you have drive around the post, must cluno and the police should be notified. Otherwise the incident will be prosecuted as a hit-and-run accident.
Please report any damage to your vehicle to us as soon as possible very simply in our app.
Alternatively you can send us an email to [email protected] to Com or call us on 089 1250 175 00.
What happens after the damage has been reported??
After you have damage report filled out and with photographs
If you have returned the damage to us, we will inform our workshop partners. They will then make an agreement with you date for the repair coordinate.
In addition, we ask you to briefly let us know when your appointment takes place.
If the garage has any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Please note! Cluno must be informed before any repairs are carried out!