Every year more than two million traffic accidents occur on Germany’s roads. Even if you are involved in one of these and only damage to property occurs, the accident should be handled correctly with the insurance company. This is the only way to ensure that all decisions are made correctly and that you save yourself a lot of trouble and usually even costs.
React correctly after the accident
Most people who are involved in a car accident are in shock at first. It is important that you remain calm and considerate. This is the only way to avoid serious mistakes, including those in accident processing for the insurance company. It is important that you do not immediately admit to being responsible for an accident at the scene of the accident, either verbally or in writing. This also applies in the event that you may be partially responsible for the accident. A premature admission of guilt can also have negative consequences for you with regard to handling the accident with the insurance company. Last but not least, you can easily jeopardize insurance coverage. Other than that, you may just be in shock and not be able to make a clear assessment of the situation. Immediately after the accident and securing the scene of the accident, you should exchange the contact details with the other party involved. These usually consist of the name, address and telephone number of the other party involved in the accident. The license plate number and the data of the vehicle owner, if he is not the driver, should also be recorded. To report the accident to the insurance company, it is also necessary that you write down the insurance of the other party involved in the accident as well as their corresponding contract number.
Report the accident correctly to the insurance company
If you have called the police about your accident, you will of course have to stay at the scene of the accident until it has arrived. If there are injuries, you have to wait up to two hours. Note that there can be individual fines and even jail sentences on the hit-and-run. In no case is it sufficient to simply leave a note with your contact details in the event of minor damage to the opposing vehicle. You should report the accident as soon as possible so that the accident processing with the insurance works correctly. Your insurance company must be informed of this within a week at the latest. This applies in any case, regardless of whether you or the other party involved in the accident are considered to be the cause of the accident.
The form of the notification is also important
In addition to the individual deadline that you have available for handling the accident with the insurance company, it is also important how you inform them. You can now do this by phone, in writing or even online with many insurance providers. Of course, you also have the option of personally reporting the accident handling to the insurance company. Many insurance agencies have an accident record sheet that you simply fill out with the relevant data. In most cases, you even have the option of marking any damage to the vehicles accordingly on schematic drawings. It goes without saying that all of what you have said must be true. After all, as a party involved in the accident, you have a so-called obligation to cooperate and notify your insurance company.
You may be responsible for minor damage yourself
If you hand over the complete accident handling to the insurance company, it is clear that this has an impact on the classification into the damage classes and thus directly on the insurance premiums. It can therefore make perfect sense for you to take care of minor damage, which can be repaired up to an amount of 500 euros. If you pay the damage yourself and do not report it to the insurance company, you will subsequently retain your no-claims class. The downgrading takes place by a few classes and you will then need several years to compensate for this. However, if you want the insurance to handle your accident later, you should make sure that you do this within one calendar year. If the accident happened too long ago, the insurance usually ends.
