Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

5-MINUTE EXPERT:

There’s been an accident! What do you do?

Las Vegas is a city of drivers — drivers of varying abilities who may or may not be paying attention to the road, and who share it with even less predictable tourists.

If you operate your own vehicle in Las Vegas, it’s a safe bet that a fender bender is in your future.

The Sunday spoke to local law enforcement officials and consulted auto insurance websites to find out exactly what you should do the next time your vehicle becomes a little too familiar with someone else’s ride.

Step 1: Is anyone injured?

If yes, call 911.

If not, is your car blocking the travel lane?

If yes, can you safely move it?

• If yes, do so. It’s the law; if your car is blocking traffic and you can move it, you have to. If you can safely move it to the side of the road or even a parking lot, do so. Your car does not need to be in the exact spot where the accident happened for authorities to conduct their investigation. Be sure to talk to the other driver first. Get their information, in case you get separated, and be sure to give clear information to dispatchers about where you are going.

• If not and it's creating a dangerous situation, call 911. If you can't move it but it's not creating a dangerous situation, call 311 if you're on a surface street or *NHP if you're on a freeway or highway. Don’t worry about dialing the wrong number. Once you give the dispatchers your location, they will transfer your call to the correct agency.

If not, go to Step 2.

Step 2: if nobody is injured and the vehicles are not blocking traffic, continue here. Do you want to call the police?

If yes, all police agencies in Southern Nevada will respond to traffic accidents, even when nobody is hurt. The job of the police is to ensure the crash site is safe and do an initial investigation. If the officers on the scene can’t determine who is at fault, they may call in a traffic investigator. If you think the damage is serious enough and you or the other person will be filing a claim, call 311 or * NHP.

If you don't want to call the police, there’s no law that says you have to. If both parties to an accident decide they don’t want to call the police or file an insurance claim, they don’t have to. BUT ... you can’t unilaterally decide to leave the scene. If one party wants to call the police, you are obligated to stay and talk to them.

WHEN YOU EXCHANGE INFORMATION WITH THE OTHER DRIVER:

Don’t talk about who’s at fault. The advice of three major auto insurers — State Farm, Progressive and USAA — is the same. Do not discuss who is at fault. In fact, those companies say you should only discuss the details of the accident with the police and your insurance company. Also, do not share details about your insurance coverage.

Limit the information you share with (and get from) the other driver to:

• Your name

• Your driver’s license number

• The name and phone number of your insurance company

• Your insurance policy number

Take notes and pictures, if you can. Most insurance companies have smartphone apps that can help document damage and details of accidents, and make it easier to file a claim. There are third-party apps available if your insurance company doesn’t provide one. Two popular ones are Help I Crashed My Car for Android-based phones and Car Accident Report for iPhone users.

Review your insurance policy carefully. Insurance company smartphone apps also let you review your policy so you know what is and isn’t covered. Still, it wouldn’t hurt to keep a paper copy in your car, along with the registration and proof of insurance.

You should, however, have a good idea of what’s in your policy before the accident — for example, whether your policy pays for towing.

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