Drivers must avoid key phrase following car crashes or risk invalidating insurance
GETTING in a car crash is scary enough, but saying the wrong thing could invalidate your insurance.
In 2020 alone, there were 91,199 road accidents reported across the UK's roads, and most motorists have to deal with a crash at least once in a lifetime of driving.
With winter upon us, crashes are more likely as Brits have to cope with driving in the dark in the evenings and the possibilities of ice on the roads.
If you do get into an accident, there's plenty of things you need to do.
The key points are to make sure you stop, exchange contact and insurance details with the other driver, and record as many details as you can to help with your claim.
But there's also one thing you should never, ever do - and that's to say sorry.
Apologising after a crash might feel like second nature, even if it's not your fault.
But experts warn that saying you're sorry could leave you having to pay for the other car's repairs, even if they caused the crash.
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More worrying, apologising could actually invalidate your insurance as it is not allowed in some policies.
Insurance comparison site GoCompare says: "Although saying sorry isn’t a legal admission of guilt, it could be used against you if you were to make a claim. Your policy may also state you can’t admit guilt at the scene of an accident.
"Don’t point the finger either. Even if you know they were in the wrong, stay calm. Engaging in an argument at the side of the road might only make matters worse."
If you’re worried about sounding rude, the experts say you should think about what you can do instead to help.
GoCompare suggests asking questions like: “Are you injured?" or "Is everyone alright?” and then offering to exchange details.
Swinton insurance says that determining fault should be left to the experts and agrees you shouldn't apologise.
It says: "You should avoid apologising or saying sorry to the other driver, even if you feel like you want to. There is a process for determining fault, so it is best to let the experts handle this.
"If you give a police statement or when you call your insurance company, stick to the facts. Simply tell the story to the best of your recollection — the police and the insurance companies will review and figure out who really carries the fault."
Another reason not to apologise is that it could allow scammers to make a fraudulent claim against you.
If you think you've been involved in a ‘crash for cash’ scam, you must call the police immediately.
In these incidents, fraudsters deliberately crash into the vehicle in front in order to submit false insurance claims.
The RAC has top tips for what you should do if you're in an accident:
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- Stop the car as soon as you can - it's against the law to drive away, no matter how minor the collision or whose fault it was
- Switch off the engine
- Turn your hazard lights on - this is the button with two red triangles on your centre console
- Check yourself and then your passengers for any injuries
- Check that there are no injuries to anyone else involved in the incident and make a note of this even if everyone is okay
- Dial 999 or an SOS phone to call an ambulance if anyone is injured or the police if the road is blocked, you believe drink or drugs are involved, or you suspect the collision was on purpose
- Unless any injuries prevent it, remove all pets and passengers from the vehicle and make sure they're taken to a safe place
- Exchange details with anyone involved - name, address, car registration number
- Don't apologise or admit fault - this verbal statement could be used against you when making a compensation claim and ultimately invalidate your claim
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