After a collision, get to safety and check for injuries first, call 911 if anyone is hurt or the road is blocked, exchange information with the other driver, document the scene, and note the responding agency so you can locate the official report later. The steps below walk through each part.
At the scene: stay safe first
Your safety comes before anything else. If it is safe to do so, move out of live traffic and turn on your hazard lights.
- Check yourself and passengers for injuries.
- Call 911 if anyone is injured, or if vehicles are blocking traffic.
- Move to a safe location off the roadway when possible; otherwise stay belted inside with hazards on.
- Do not leave the scene — leaving a collision you were involved in can be a crime.
Exchange and collect information
Gather the details you will need for an insurance claim and to locate the report.
- Names, phone numbers and driver-license numbers of everyone involved.
- Vehicle make, model, color, and license-plate numbers.
- Insurance company names and policy numbers.
- Names and badge numbers of responding officers, and the agency they work for.
Document the scene
Photos and notes taken at the scene are hard to reconstruct later.
- Photograph vehicle damage, the overall scene, road conditions and any traffic signs or signals.
- Note the date, time, direction of travel and the nearest cross street or freeway exit.
- Write down what happened while it is fresh.
Find the responding agency and the report
The agency that responds to the collision prepares the official report. Knowing which agency responded is the key to requesting it later.
See how to identify the responding agency, then use the matching accident-report guide to request a copy. You can also try Find My Accident to locate the record.
Terms explained
- Responding agency
- The law-enforcement agency (such as a police department or the California Highway Patrol) that responds to a collision and prepares the report.