Updated 21st January 2025. You can go to prison if you fail to report a car accident. Other penalties include license points, disqualification, and a fine of up to £5,000. In this guide, we will explain how to report a car accident so you can avoid getting into such trouble.
If an incident occurs, you may have many questions. Do you need to contact the police? Do you need to tell the insurer? Reporting a car accident can be quite confusing. This guide aims to clarify each of these points.
We’ll also look at your right to claim compensation for injuries if another road user is to blame. We’ll also review the types of accidents you have to report, how to report a car accident to the police, and when you need to contact your insurer.
Legal Expert can help you claim for injuries sustained in a road accident on a No Win No Fee basis. We begin by offering a no-strings-attached assessment of your claim. Our advisors can provide more information regarding when and how to report a car crash.
If you’d like to begin a claim immediately, please get in touch with our team:
- Call 0800 073 8804.
- Request a callback using our online claim form.
- Use the Live Chat feature below.
Otherwise, please continue reading for advice on how to report a car accident.
Select A Section
- Who Do I Report A Car Accident To?
- Reporting A Car Accident To The Police
- How And When To Report Car Accidents To The MIB
- Could I Claim For A Car Accident?
- Car Accident Injury Claims With A No Win No Fee Solicitor
- Essential References
Who Do I Report A Car Accident To?
Section 170 of the Road Traffic Act 1988 states that if you are involved in a car accident, you must stop safely to provide details to anyone affected.
If you cannot stop safely, you must report the accident to the police within 24 hours. You can do this in person at a police station or by calling 101, the police’s non-emergency phone number.
It is usually written into policies that you should contact your insurer as soon after an accident as is safely possible, even if you don’t intend to make a claim. The other driver might claim against you, so your insurance company needs to know about the collision.
Reporting A Car Accident To The Police
Reporting a car accident is necessary in some circumstances, regardless of whether you stopped at the time. You may want to report it if:
- The road is blocked because of the accident.
- You suspect that the other driver is drunk or on drugs.
- You suspect that the other driver caused the crash on purpose.
We can provide further guidance on how to file reports for car accidents. Contact us to find out more.
How And When To Report Car Accidents To The MIB
In this section, we examine how to report a car accident when a driver is uninsured or fails to stop. Once you have reported it to the police, you can claim compensation for a hit-and-run accident through the Motor Insurers Bureau (MIB).
The MIB was established to help drivers claim against uninsured and unidentified motorists, both of whom break the law. Claiming through this scheme:
- Does not affect your no-claims bonus.
- Requires a police reference number.
- Can be made against drivers from abroad.
For further guidance on claiming through the MIB, contact our advisors using the information provided above.
Reporting A Hit And Run – Can I Claim?
An MIB claim works similarly to a regular claim in that you must show that you experienced negligence from another road user.
When you report a hit and run to the police, their report can act as supporting evidence in your claim. As we have explained above, reporting an incident to the police is a legal requirement in many cases.
Please get in touch with our advisers with any additional questions you may have about claiming for a hit-and-run or whether you will be required to report the crash to the police.
Could I Claim For A Car Accident?
Every road user has a duty of care to travel safely and without endangering others. This duty requires adhering to the standards of the Road Traffic Act 1988 and the Highway Code.
If another driver breaches this duty and causes a car accident, you may be eligible to claim compensation. You must prove that you meet the personal injury claims eligibility criteria to do so. Your evidence must show that:
- You were owed a duty of care.
- This was breached.
- You suffered injuries as a result.
If you would like to discuss the eligibility criteria in further depth and find out if you could make a claim, please contact an advisor from our team. They can evaluate your case for free and potentially connect you with one of our solicitors.
Car Accident Injury Claims With A No Win No Fee Solicitor
Once you meet your responsibilities after a car crash, you can seek help from a solicitor. Our advisors can connect you with our No Win No Fee experts who have experience with car accident claims.
Furthermore, they can represent you under a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA), under which you won’t be required to pay any upfront fees for their services. You also won’t need to pay your solicitor for their services if your claim is unsuccessful.
If your claim is successful, the solicitor who supported your claim will take a legally capped percentage from any compensation. This is called a success fee.
To learn more about making a personal injury claim with a No Win No Fee solicitor after you report a car accident, contact our advisors. They can provide free advice about your potential claim. You can reach them by:
- Calling 0800 073 8804
- Use our contact form online.
- Messaging us on our 24/7 online live chat.
Essential References
Thanks for reading this guide about how to report a car accident. We’ve provided some further information for you in the form of more guides and links to external resources below. If there’s anything else you’d like to know, please get in touch with a member of our team.
- Whiplash Information – A detailed look at the causes, symptoms and treatment of whiplash injuries.
- The Highway Code – The safety rules which govern the use of roads for all.
- Broken Bones – Advice from the NHS on how to tell if you’ve broken a bone, which is a common injury following a road traffic accident.
You may also find the following Legal Expert guides useful:
- Our guide to car accident claims.
- Your most frequently asked questions about car accidents
- A guide to seeking serious injury compensation after a car accident.
Thank you for reading our guide on how to report a car accident.
