My First Car Accident Experience

Getting into an accident in the heavy rain

After getting my car from Pudu LRT Station, I was driving back from work under a heavy rain pour. I stopped at a red light and before I knew it, a car came crashing into the back of my car.

Guess what? I have not been in an accident before. Many questions were going through my mind :

• Should I get out of my car?
• Should I move my car?
• Who do I call?

I took a few deep breaths to process the situation and calmed myself down. Getting an umbrella, I quickly got out of the car to check on the other driver (thankfully, he was not injured). After signaling to him, we moved both our cars to the side of the road, at which point the water levels were already up to my ankles.

Always get the other driver’s details and take photos!

Luckily, my car wasn’t as damaged as I thought it would be from the impact of the other car. From this experience, my best suggestion for you would be to talk to the other driver to get the following important information :

1. Vehicle Registration Number
2. Driver’s Name and Insured’s Name (if the driver is not the insured)
3. IC Number
4. Phone Number
5. Name of Insurance Company

Besides getting these details, I also realized how important it was to take photos of both the cars and the accident scene as these would have helped me in making my police report and speeding up my claims.

Almost got towed by an unauthorized tow truck operator

I had no idea who to call so I looked up my insurance company on Google to call someone. While talking to the agent from my insurance company, she managed to arrange a tow truck to come and pick up my car and asked me to wait.

Shortly after ending the call, a random tow truck operator approached me and offered their service. He seemed reliable, but it was odd how fast the tow truck came after I ended the call. I realized that the tow truck operator was not the same name shared by my agent so I decided not to go with him. Later, I found out that there are such unauthorized tow truck operators driving around to take advantage of the situation (e.g. my car could have been brought to a non-trusted panel workshop).

After my confirmed tow truck arrived to get my car, I went to the nearest police station to make a police report on the accident. One lesson I learnt from this is that you should always file a police report within 24 hours of an accident, even if there is only a minor damage. Most insurance companies will not cover an accident unless there is a police report.

From this experience, here are my two cents:

• Accidents are always unplanned. Just stay calm and don’t admit fault.
• If possible, move your car to a safer place by the side of the road to avoid unnecessary traffic buildup.
• Always remember to note down important details and take photos of the accident scene.
• Make a police report at the nearest station where the accident took place.
• No matter how stressful you are, call your insurance company and provide all the important details.
• Only trust authorized tow trucks that are provided by your insurance company.
• Always go to a panel workshop as they are trusted and will work with your insurance company for the claims.