Accidents are part and parcel of driving – whilst we of course hope you aren’t involved in any sort of accident in your new lease van, you may well be and knowing what to do in the event of an accident can reduce stress levels at what is a stressful enough time as it is!
Here’s our guide to what to do if you’re involved in an accident.
STOP!
You must stop at the scene of an accident. Failing to stop is an offence that can result in legal action.
If you can move your van to a safe place then try to do so. Of course this isn’t always possible – if this happens call the police immediately.
Remember, even if it’s just a minor bump and the police don’t need to be called to the scene, you must report the incident to your local police within 24 hours in order to obtain an incident reference number.
Exchange details
As soon as you’ve established that everyone is safe and well, and your vehicles are in a safe position, exchange details with all parties involved.
You, and they, are legally required to provide your name and address at the scene of an accident. You should also, supply vehicle (make, model, registration number) and insurance details, along with a phone number too.
Other details
It is also a good idea to record other information like the time of day, the weather, the positions of the vehicles etc. Pictures can be helpful to so use your phone to take a few shots of the vehicles’ position, immediate damage etc.
Inform your Insurance company
Your insurance company should be called within 24 hours of an incident. Many insurance policies have a clause within them stating a time frame, within which you must notify them of an accident. Have all of the details to hand to recount to your insurer.
Inform your leasing company
It’s important to inform your lease company of an accident.
They will be able to help you and advise of next steps. Remember, you will be liable for any damage to a lease vehicle.
Avoiding costly bills
In order to avoid any costly bills, many finance companies will provide information about GAP insurance.
This is an additional type of insurance that will protect you against any costly bills should you write-off a lease vehicle. Your standard insurance company – in the event that your vehicle is a write-off – will pay out the value of the van. However, this is not always enough to cover the remaining finance on your lease. In this instance, you’d make use of your GAP insurance policy and they would pay the remaining difference – essentially the ‘gap’ – between the price your insurance company have offered for the van and the finance remaining on the vehicle