According to Safe Driving Canada, 1 in 3 Canadians will be in an auto collision sometime in their lifetime. It’s never a good to be involved in a vehicle collision, but now you’ll know what steps to take at the scene of an accident.
If you are involved in an accident, try your best to stay calm. It can be very scary; however you need to check and see if there are any injuries first. If anyone is hurt, call 911 to get assistance immediately.
Do NOT leave the scene. Failing to remain at a scene of an accident could result in a ticket up to $2000 and seven demerit points.
If no one is injured, in Ontario, you only need to contact the Police if the combined damage to a vehicle and/or property exceeds $2000.
Additionally, you must call police if the following is involved;
- Danger to motorists at the scene of the collision
- Personal injury
- Any criminal activity, such as impaired driving or stolen vehicles
- A government vehicle of any kind
- A vehicle which is transporting dangerous goods
- Damage to third-party property, such as a parked car
- Damage to private, municipal or highway property
- A pedestrian or cyclist
If the damage is below $2000 of damage, and if it is safe to drive your vehicle, you can proceed to a Collision Reporting Centre. You must go to a Reporting Centre in the CITY that the accident occurred in, NOT at a Reporting Centre near where you live. A Reporting Centre near your home will not complete the accident report if it happened in another city. A report to a Reporting Centre needs to be submitted within 24 hours of when the accident occurred.Before you leave the scene of the accident, make sure that you and the other drivers involved in the accident exchange information including:
- Drivers’ license numbers
- Drivers’ names and contact information
- Insurance policy numbers
- License plate numbers
- Names of the insurance companies
If the Police attend, ask for the officer’s name, badge number and the incident number.
You should also spend time jotting down information about the accident such as the time the accident occurred, where it occurred, and weather conditions.
Understand that it’s the vehicle owner who must decide which tow truck operator to hire, and not the tow truck that arrives first or for the police to decide.
Let’s hope you never need them, but below is a link to the list of Reporting Centres in Ontario:
http://www.collision-reporting-centre.com/collision_reporting_centre/
