Sunday 21 September 2014

Things to Do After an Accident

Once again, despite best intentions, I have not blogged for a long while ... so much has happened.

We finally bought a fully featured WIndows 8.1 tablet - with all our key requirements:
Full Windows Professional (can run all desktop apps natively)
9~11" form factor
Wireless WAN (aka 3/4G) built in
Full-hosting USB built in
Video out (min VGA pref HDMI)
At least 64GB (pref 128)
SD card if poss
Multiple docking options
  ... all the things I've harped-on in these previous posts
It's the Lenovo Thinkpad 10 and we loooove it

We had the Samil solar inverter replaced with an Aurora ... what a difference!
  • It "just works" ... without error!. 
  • From my records it seems to be producing slightly higher output overall. 
  • I was able to get the RS485 communications and the Aurora Communicator software working with minimal pain and not a lot of extra cost.
All these are topics of blog posts in their own right ... when I get time.

Still not making alternate-income money off internet marketing ... another overdue blog update 


On the security front I've;
  • replaced older wireless security cameras with newer WansCam Fixed and PTZ cameras 
  • switched to another really excellent PC based CCTV management package - Blue Iris
... more Blog-fodder

If any readers want to hear more about any of the above, please do comment as that will give me added incentive to prioritise blogging on the subject

But what prompted this post - 
... was a car accident my daughter was involved in recently ... as a passenger.
It heightened our awareness of the lack of training around What To Do In An Accident and how often we do not have-to-hand the details we need to exchange in those times of stress.

After a very helpful discussion with RACQ we have now put together the following "kit" for each of our cars.
These kits comprise of three key items.
  1. A concise sheet of key things to do/not-do in an accident
    (shared below)
  2. An insurance policy Certificate of Currency with details of 
    • the provider
    • policy number
    • claims hotline number
  3. RACQ Roadside Assist membership details and hotline
The following list is just one I threw together for our vehicles, so don't take it as law, but it might help you form your own if you want to do something similar.
I'm not completely sure about the use of 000 in these situations so I'd appreciate any improvements anyone might like to offer by way of comments.


Things to Do After an Accident

First things first:
  • Never admit liability – don’t apologise or say I’m sorry that I did/didn’t do something
    don’t admit that you are at fault. Even though you may believe your actions caused the accident, leave that decision to the insurer
  • Don’t argue with other drivers.
    The situation is already emotional and tense as it is; things don’t need to get worse
  • If you can safely move your car to the side of the road, do so.
    If it is not safe to move your car for whatever reason, make sure you turn your hazard lights on.
  • Check if anyone is injured – if so call 000 for Ambulance and Police
  • If there is damage to other vehicles which might be more than a $2,500 – call the Police – apparently 131 444 will get local police in most states, otherwise 000
  • Call your parents or close friend if you need moral support 
In order of importance, exchange with other parties ...
  • Car Registration number(s) - particularly of those who hit you or you hit or were pushed into
  • Driver(s) name(s)
  • Drivers License number(s)
  • Insurer(s) - of those who hit you or you hit or were pushed into 
  • Drivers Phone number or Address 
 Other Information to collect if possible
  • Details of the police officer first on the scene
  • Names/Contact details of anyone prepared to be witnesses
  •  If you have the opportunity, take photos of the accident scene before too much gets moved

Other web resources on this topic

Though not a concise list, I eventually found the RACQ do go into detail on this on their web site under the somewhat obscure title of "Unusual Motoring Situations"

Suncorp also offer their "Tips following a car accident"

#Moose has written an excellent Whirlpool wiki post on What to do when you have an accident
It has a great list of phone numbers and covers multiple scenarios

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