Had a car accident that’s not your fault?

If you’ve ever been in a collision that’s not your fault, it can feel like a major hassle at the time. Apart from throwing your immediate plans into disarray, it also means you’ll need to find alternative transport until your car is assessed and either repaired or replaced. And because accidents are unexpected, in the moment it can be confusing to know what to do and when. Here’s a helpful step-by-step to help you get back on the road, faster.

Safety first

Depending on where the accident happened, decide if it’s safe to get out of your car. If you’re in a high traffic area or you’re not sure if it’s safe, stay in your vehicle until help arrives. 

If possible, check to see if everyone else involved is OK. If anyone is injured, the damage to vehicles is extensive, there’s petrol or oil on the road or the road is blocked, call 000. 

If it’s only a minor fender-bender, there’s no need to call emergency services. Take a photo of the crash scene from a couple of angles in case you need to jog your memory later, or submit them for your claim. Then you can carefully move your vehicle to the side of the road if it’s driveable and safe to do so. 

Next, exchange name, address, phone, licence and registration details with the other driver. Do not admit fault, even if they are pressuring you to do so.

We’re here to help

If you have an NRMA Comprehensive Car insurance policy, one of the first things to do is call us on 132 132 to start your claim. 

If we agree you weren’t at fault in the collision and you can give us the name and address of the at-fault driver, then we can arrange a hire car for you if you need one. We’ve partnered with Australia’s biggest hire car providers and have cars available at more than 900 convenient locations across the nation.

We’ll pay for your car to be towed to a repairer or safe place if your car can’t be driven after an accident, and if you use one of our Partner Repairers, we can manage the repairs for you. If your car is a write-off and it’s under two years old, we may offer new for new replacement as part of your policy.

You won’t need to pay an excess on your claim, and there will be no impact to your No Claim Bonus discount. 

All you need to do is start your claim and we’ll take care of the rest for you. 

So whether you’ve had a car accident in NSW, QLD, WA, SA, NT, ACT, or Tasmania, and need to make a claim or you’d like a quote visit NRMA Insurance online 24/7 or call 132 132. 

Because help is who we are.