What to Do After a Car Accident: A Practical Guide Before Booking Repairs

Knowing what to do after a car accident protects your safety, your insurance claim, and the quality of the eventual repair. Start at the scene with safety checks and evidence gathering, then move through insurer notification and a proper bodyshop inspection before any vehicle is booked into a workshop. This guide walks UK drivers through each stage, with practical advice for Coventry and the wider West Midlands.

Skip steps and you risk disputed liability, missed structural or sensor damage, and repair work that fails to restore the car properly. A methodical approach usually saves time, money, and arguments later on.

What to do after a car accident at the scene

Your first priority is safety. Stop the car as soon as it is safe to do so, switch on your hazard lights, and check yourself and passengers for injuries before anything else. If anyone is hurt or the road is blocked, call 999 and ask for the appropriate service. Do not move anyone who may be seriously injured unless they are in immediate danger.

Once the scene is safe, gather the facts you will need later:

• Time and location: note the precise road, junction, or landmark and the time of the collision.
• Other drivers' details: full name, address, phone, insurer, and policy number.
• Vehicle details: make, model, colour, registration, and any visible damage to the other car.
• Witnesses: names and contact numbers for anyone who saw what happened.
• Photos: wide shots of the scene, close-ups of damage, road markings, signage, and any debris.

Stay calm, speak carefully, and avoid saying anything that could be read as an admission of fault. Stick to facts when talking to the other driver or the police.

Should you call the police after a minor shunt?

You should call the police if there are injuries, suspected drink or drug driving, a hit-and-run, or if the other driver refuses to exchange details. You also need police involvement when a vehicle blocks the road or when a crime may have occurred.

For low-speed damage with no injuries and no disputed liability, a police report is not always required. Even so, gather your own evidence thoroughly. Some insurers want a crime reference number if the other driver left the scene, and a police report strengthens any claim when the facts are contested.

When the police attend, ask for the officer's name, collar number, and the incident log number. Record these with your photos so your insurer can request the report quickly.

How do you document the damage for your insurance claim?

Good evidence decides who pays, not the visible damage alone. Take more photos than you think you need, because repair costs often depend on what the assessor can see later in the workshop.

Useful photos to capture include:

• All four corners of the car: a full walk-round shows every panel that took a hit.
• Close-ups of impact points: include a coin or key in the frame for scale.
• The other vehicle: its registration, damage, and where it came to rest.
• Road conditions: wet surfaces, faded lining, potholes, or obscured signs.
• Skid marks and debris: these help when reconstructing the impact.

Write a short timeline while it is fresh in your mind. Note speed, direction, signals, and what you saw immediately before impact. This avoids guesswork weeks later when memories fade.

When do you need to tell your insurer?

Tell your insurer as soon as you can. Most policies require notification within 24 hours, or at the earliest reasonable opportunity, even when you do not plan to claim. Failing to report can complicate cover later, particularly for injury claims that emerge months after the crash.

When you call, have ready:

• Policy number and personal details: so the handler can pull your file.
• Incident facts: date, time, location, vehicles involved, and any injuries.
• Third party details: name, registration, insurer, and policy number.
• Police reference: if the police attended, or the reason they did not.
• Photos and witness contacts: share what you have collected so far.

Ask your insurer about your excess, whether a courtesy car is included, and whether they have an approved repairer network. You can usually choose your own bodyshop, but using an approved repairer often speeds up authorisation and guarantees.

Why get a bodyshop inspection before booking repairs?

An insurer's initial estimate usually covers visible damage. A separate bodyshop inspection can reveal hidden issues that change the scope of work and the cost. Booking repairs before this inspection can leave you paying the difference or having the car dismantled twice.

A proper inspection typically covers:

• Structural checks: jigs and measuring systems confirm the chassis is straight, which is critical for safety and tyre wear.
• Sensor and ADAS review: modern bumpers, windscreens, and mirrors carry radar, cameras, and parking sensors that need calibration after impact.
• Paint depth and condition: deeper scratches may need full panel refinishing rather than a professional scratch repair.
• Mechanical components: cooling, exhaust, suspension, and steering parts are often missed in a quick estimate.

Send clear photos before booking so the bodyshop can flag likely hidden damage and give you a realistic estimate. A five-minute phone call now usually prevents a five-day delay later.

How do you choose a bodyshop in Coventry after a crash?

Not every workshop is set up for accident repair. Look for evidence of structural repair capability, paint mixing facilities, and ADAS calibration either in-house or through a trusted partner. A SMART repair shop that only handles minor scuffs may not be the right choice for a main impact.

Questions worth asking the bodyshop include:

• Are you insurer-approved? this often speeds up authorisation and written guarantees.
• Do you carry out structural and chassis work? jig alignment is essential for any impact that bent the shell.
• Can you calibrate ADAS and sensors? modern bumper refits are not finished until cameras and radar are calibrated.
• What paint process do you use? water-based basecoats, manufacturer colour codes, and clear lacquer over the original finish.
• Can I see similar work? a portfolio, such as a recent scuffed rear quarter refinish on a high-end car, shows their standard.

For drivers in nearby towns, including Stratford-upon-Avon and the surrounding villages, look for a bodyshop that collects and delivers, since not every damaged car is safe or legal to drive home after a collision.

What hidden damage should worry you after a collision?

Modern cars absorb impact through crumple zones, side members, and bonded panels, so the visible damage often tells only part of the story. Hidden damage that catches drivers out includes:

• Bent subframes or suspension arms: tyres wear unevenly and the car pulls to one side.
• Airbag and seatbelt pretensioner deployment: crash sensors can fire in a low-speed impact, and the system must be replaced and reset.
• Cooling and AC condenser damage: front impacts often push radiators backwards, with no visible leak until the system runs dry.
• Wiring harness damage: modern looms run inside wings and bumpers, and a single cut wire can disable multiple systems.
• ADAS misalignment: even a small bumper shift can throw radar and camera angles out by a degree, enough to miss a pedestrian in an emergency stop.

This is why a bodyshop should strip the damaged area before finalising an estimate. A two-hour strip-down often saves a two-week comebacks later.

What if your car is not safe to drive after the accident?

If the car cannot be driven, do not attempt to move it further than needed for safety. Call your insurer to request recovery or ask the bodyshop to collect it. Most policies include recovery, and some bodyshops offer a free collection within a set radius.

Until collection, leave the handbrake on, wheels turned towards the kerb, and place a warning triangle if you have one. Photograph the car in its final position so the insurer can see where it came to rest.

Never drive a car with any of the following until a professional has inspected it:

• Visible structural distortion: twisted panels, cracked chassis members, or a leaning stance.
• Airbag warning lights: a triggered airbag system may not protect you in a second impact.
• Steering or brake issues: any change in feel, wandering, or pulling warrants a recovery truck.
• Fluid leaks: coolant, fuel, or brake fluid on the ground means the car should not be driven.

If in doubt, recovery is cheaper than a second collision. Your insurer can usually arrange this within a few hours.

Could your car be written off instead of repaired?

Insurers classify heavily damaged cars as write-offs when repair costs exceed a set percentage of the vehicle's market value. In the UK, the categories are A, B, S, and N, and each one affects whether the car can return to the road.

If your insurer declares the car a write-off, you usually have the right to keep the vehicle, but it must be re-registered and pass a VIC test before returning to the road. Many drivers do not realise how much Cat S and Cat N repair work this involves, and buying a previously written-off car carries its own risks. Our guide to the risks of buying an insurance write-off covers the inspection steps that matter.

Even when the insurer totals the car, you can still ask for a second opinion from an independent bodyshop. Repair costs vary between workshops, and a competitive estimate sometimes brings the car back under the write-off threshold.

Why minor bumps can turn into large repair bills

Low-speed contact is where drivers get the largest financial surprises. What looks like a scuffed bumper can hide a radar sensor, a parking camera, and a wiring harness that costs four figures to replace and calibrate. Premium paint finishes, multi-stage pearl coatings, and aluminium panels all add labour hours that a basic estimate misses.

Our article on minor car prangs and large insurance charges explains why a small shunt often punches above its weight on the bill, and what to ask your insurer before agreeing to a repair.

Send your photos for a Coventry repair estimate

The right steps after a crash protect your safety, your claim, and your car's long-term value. Document the scene, report where required, notify your insurer, and choose a bodyshop that inspects the car properly before booking work in.

When you are ready, send clear photos of the damage along with your registration and a short description to our Coventry bodyshop. We will come back with a realistic estimate, flag any hidden issues, and talk you through the next steps, including insurance handling, courtesy cars, and collection from anywhere across the West Midlands.