Mistakes to Avoid Making After an Auto Accident

While auto accidents occur every day, many drivers go years without being in one. When they are eventually in an accident, they sometimes don't know what to do and make mistakes. If you're in an accident, here's what not to do in the moments immediately following the collision.

Don't Neglect the People Involved

Most of all, don't neglect the people involved in the accident. Before turning your attention to your vehicle, make sure you yourself, any passengers with you, anyone in other vehicles, and any pedestrians are physically all right. A person's body is much more precious than even the most striking car.

If there's any doubt about a person's injuries, then call an ambulance and the police — to get a police report.

Don't Open the Hood

Drivers sometimes open their car's hood in an effort to see whether the engine itself is damaged. This is often a fruitless exercise because diagnosing mechanical issues without advanced knowledge is all but impossible. Problems should be diagnosed by a qualified technician at a collision center.

Even more importantly, you might not be able to close your car's hood once you open it. In front-end collisions, hoods often become bent. They'll remain latched, but the latch won't stay properly aligned once it's released. Without correct alignment, re-latching the hood isn't an option.
Without a properly latched hood, you won't be able to safely drive your car any distance — wind could lift the hood so that it obstructs your view.
If your hood is bent in the accident, leave it closed. Wait until the car is at a collision repair center to unlatch it, where they can either bend the hood or install a new one.

Don't Drive Without Lights

A minor sideswipe might not damage any lights on your car, but most other collisions will break at least one light. Without functioning lights, it's unsafe (and often illegal) to drive your car. After all, your car's lights perform essential roles:

• Headlights help you see in low-light situations
• Headlights and tail lights help other drivers see your car in low-light situations
• Turn signals show other drivers which way you're going to maneuver
• Brake lights alert drivers behind you that you're slowing down

As an example, consider driving after a rear-end collision without brake lights. Drivers behind you wouldn't know when you were stopping — and you might be in another rear-end collision before you get to your destination. Without functioning brake lights, you may even be held responsible for the second of the two collisions.

Don't Go to Just Any Collision Center

When everything is taken care of at the scene of the accident, don't take your car to just any collision center. Look for one that will do excellent work and make repairing your car as easy as possible. Specifically, seek out a collision center that:

• Services your type of vehicle, whether it's a foreign sports car or domestic SUV
• Employs ASE-certified technicians, for they've proven their expertise
• Has on-site color matching so the paint job will be seamless
• Offers a warranty so you can trust the work that's being done
• Provides free estimates so you know how much the work should cost

If the collision work is covered by insurance, you should also seek out a center that will help process your insurance claim. Going to a center that will work directly with your insurer will reduce how many conversations you have with the insurance company. It will also keep you from being a middle person between the insurer and collision center.

If you're in an accident, bring your car to us at Conn's Body Shop for the highest level of collision repair service.