In a report issued by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, there were more than 5.3 million police-reported automobile accidents in 2011. This number increased to just over 5.6 million in 2012. This doesn’t include the number of collisions in which drivers do not involve the police. Crashes resulting in injuries rose from 1.53 million to 1.63 million, and fatalities rose form more 29,867 to 30,800.
The National Association of Insurance Commissioners surveyed a number of men and women to see how many know exactly what to do if there is an accident. Surprisingly, many were uncertain. Even if you do know, shock often sets in following an accident and that makes it hard to do the right thing. With both the rate of motor vehicle accidents and accidents involving injuries or fatalities on the rise, it’s especially important to know what to do if you are in an accident and to make sure you don’t miss anything during this stressful situation. Today, there are auto accident apps that help you out.
Information Needed After a Car Accident
Following an accident, providing you are not injured, you need to move your vehicle to avoid blocking traffic. Before doing so, take photos of the cars in the post-crash positions. Take the pictures from all angles. If you cannot move the cars, police will take photos, though you still may want your own copies for your insurance company.
Take the other driver’s name and insurance information. You also need the make, model, and license plate for the other driver’s vehicle. Giving out your home address or driver’s license number puts you at risk for fraud.
If there are witnesses, get their names and phone numbers. If an officer shows up, take that officer’s name, contact information, and badge number. You also want to get a copy of the accident report either at the scene or from the officer at the police station. Finally, note the weather conditions, road conditions, and circumstances leading up to the accident.
As you can see, that’s a lot of information to remember to collect. This is why an auto accident app is essential.
Car Accident Report
Car Accident Report is available for iPhone users. Once you download the free app, you can store personal information so that if there is a crash and you are unable to communicate, officers can pull up your data and have the information they need to contact your loved ones and primary care doctor. If you’re not injured, the app walks you through a checklist of information you need to gather. You can access GPS to pinpoint the exact accident location. It also works with your iPhone camera to get photos of the accident scene to add to the accident report.
Help, I Crashed My Car
Help, I Crashed My Car is a free auto accident app for the Android user. In addition to the assistance in gathering information and taking photos, it also directs you to the nearest car rental companies and auto mechanics.
WreckCheck
Many state department of insurance boards suggest drivers download WreckCheck, an auto accident app that the National Association of insurance Commissioners created. WreckCheck guides you into collecting the information you need, gives tips on remaining calm following the accident, and even creates an accident report that you can email to your insurance company and yourself.
Prepare yourself for an unexpected auto accident in advance. Having a vehicle accident app installed on your smartphone ensures you have the guidance you need to get through this stressful time. Best of all, these apps do not cost you anything, so there is nothing keeping you from installing a car crash app today.
Byline: John Burke writes on everything technology-related, including smartphone law apps
