What to do if you are in a car accident

This article has been updated from a previous version.

Driving a vehicle is one of the most dangerous things we regularly do. And, unfortunately, many of us will experience what it’s like to be in a car accident.

Whether it was last week or last year, if you’ve been involved in an accident, you probably remember it in excruciating detail. Collisions are scary and are hard to forget. And they can also have a long-lasting impact on your car insurance premium.

Unfortunately, they also happen a lot. According to the latest information available from Transport Canada, there were 118,838 reported injuries resulting in motor vehicle collisions in 2023. Of that number, 1964 were fatalities.

While the number of traffic-related injuries across the country appear to be improving from decade to decade, they are still fairly common for all road users.

What to do if you get in a car collision?

If you get into a car accident, here’s how to manage the situation:

• Stay calm: Take a deep breath and give yourself a chance to calm down. Getting into a car accident can be jarring. Taking a few moments to collect yourself will help you take stock of the situation and handle it better.
• Call for help: Call 911 if you or anyone is injured. If no one is injured and total damage to the vehicles involved appears to be less than $5,000, call or visit a Collision Reporting Centre within 24 hours (if you are in Ontario). A similar rule applies in Alberta, requiring you to go to a police station and file a Collision Report Form. However, you should call the police if (a) total damage to all the vehicles involved appears to be more than $5,000, or (b) you suspect that any of the other drivers involved may be driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
• Document the incident: If it’s safe to do so, get out of your vehicle and take photos and a video of the damage to your vehicle and the accident scene. If your phone is dead, or you don’t have it with you, you can also take notes with a pen and paper (it’s handy to keep these items in your vehicle).
• Move to the side of the road: Turn on your hazard lights. If you can drive your car and it’s safe to do so, move it to the side of the road and out of the way of oncoming traffic. If you can’t drive your car, keep your hazard lights flashing and wait for help.
• Exchange information: Get the other driver’s name, driver’s licence number, address, phone number and insurance information and provide your details to them. If there are any witnesses, ask for their contact information as well.
• Call your insurer: Call your car insurance provider as soon as possible to report the accident and file a claim. Your insurer will walk you through the process of filing a claim.

How a collision affects your car insurance rate

Depending on your insurance policy and your involvement in the accident, your insurance rate could be impacted in a few different ways:

• If you were determined to be not at fault, your insurance company would pay for the repairs under Direct Compensation-Property Damage (DCPD) coverage and not raise your rate. (Unless you opted out of DCPD; in which case, you would pay for the repairs yourself).
• If the collision was minor, and if you are found minimally at fault (less than 50%) for causing a collision, the damage would be covered under collision coverage and your insurance company would likely not increase your rate at renewal.
• If you are found mostly at fault or fully at fault, it would be also covered under collision coverage and your insurer likely would increase your rate at renewal.

Read more: How your claims history affects your car insurance premium

Lastly, if this is your first at-fault incident and you have accident forgiveness coverage (an add-on endorsement that is granted to insurance customers with clean records), your insurer will “forgive” this incident and not raise your rate upon renewal. However, you can only use this coverage once, and it takes a few years to earn back.

Learn more: When won’t an at-fault collision impact your car insurance rate?

Does a collision stay on your record forever?

Your driving record and insurance history factor heavily into the car insurance rate you pay, but the good news is a collision won’t follow you forever. The key is to keep your driving record and insurance history clean.

If you’re concerned about your driving habits, consider doing the following:

• Brush up on your driver’s handbook: Your province’s driver’s handbook isn’t just for new drivers trying to pass their test. It’s a great resource for experienced drivers as a quick refresher too.
• Consider taking a driving course: Good driving takes concentration and skill. If you’ve never taken a driver’s training course, or it has been decades since you last did, there are refresher courses for experienced drivers to hone their skills.

Related: How much is driving school in Ontario?

Both options will help correct risky habits that you may have developed over the years. It will also highlight traffic laws that may have changed and provide practice (or insight) to handle all the difficult situations and environments that drivers might encounter on the road.