Minor car accident: what to do at the scene and after

Stop, swap details, take photos. Then breathe.

The answer in 2 lines. In the UK there is no shared accident form to fill in: the law says you must stop and give your name and address, the vehicle owner's name and address and the registration number to anyone with a good reason to ask. Take photos, note witnesses, and check the other car is insured on askMID. If you can't exchange details (other driver gone, a parked car with nobody around), report it to the police as soon as possible and within 24 hours. Then tell your insurer, even if you don't want to claim: most policies require it. If anyone is hurt or the road is blocked dangerously, call 999.

The first 4 steps

Stop and make the scene safe: hazard lights on, engine off, everyone out on the side away from traffic if it is safe. On a motorway, get behind the barrier.
Exchange details: your name and address, the owner's name and address if the car isn't yours, and the registration number. Ask for the same, plus the other driver's insurer and policy number if they have them.
Photograph both vehicles, their position, the damage, the road and any signs. Note the time, the exact place, the weather and the light.
Note the witnesses: name and phone number. Dashcam footage: save it now before it is overwritten.

Stop: danger

Someone injured, a car blocking the road dangerously, fuel leaking, a driver who seems drunk or aggressive: call 999. Don't stand in the road.
The other driver drives off: don't chase them. Note the registration, make and colour and call 999 if it's an emergency, otherwise report it to the police (101 or online) within 24 hours.

What the law requires (Road Traffic Act 1988, section 170)

If an accident involves another vehicle, a person, certain animals, or property such as a parked car, wall or fence, the driver must stop.
You must give your name and address, the vehicle owner's name and address, and the registration number to anyone with reasonable grounds to ask.
If you don't give these details at the scene, you must report the accident to the police as soon as reasonably practicable, and in any case within 24 hours.
If someone is injured, you must also show your insurance certificate; if you can't, report to the police within 24 hours and produce it within 7 days.
Failing to stop or to report is a criminal offence. The Highway Code repeats these duties in rules 274 to 287.

Check the other car is insured

The Motor Insurers' Bureau runs askMID, which tells you whether a vehicle involved in an accident with you is insured. A one-off check after an accident is on the MIB website: enter the registration and the date of the accident.
Some insurance details may not show for valid reasons (a very new policy, a fleet or hire car), so a "not found" result doesn't prove the car is uninsured: tell your insurer.
If the other driver was uninsured or can't be traced, the Motor Insurers' Bureau may compensate you in some cases: your insurer or the MIB will explain how.

Reporting to the police

Emergency (injury, danger, a crime in progress): 999.
No injury, but details not exchanged: report within 24 hours. Most police forces in England have an online road traffic incident form on their website (for example the Metropolitan Police form in London); otherwise call 101 or go to a police station. Choose the force for the area where the accident happened. Keep the reference number for your insurer.

Telling your insurer

Tell your insurer about any accident, even if you don't plan to claim: almost all policies require you to report incidents promptly, and failing to do so can affect your cover. Telling them is not the same as making a claim.
Stick to facts: what happened, where, when, the other vehicle's details, your photos and witnesses. Don't admit fault at the scene or sign anything the other driver hands you.
Who pays: the insurers decide fault from the evidence. If it wasn't your fault, the other driver's insurer should pay for your repairs (and your no-claims discount should not be affected once costs are recovered). If it was your fault, your own repairs are only covered if you have comprehensive cover, and your no-claims discount may drop.
Settling privately for cash is legal, but risky: if the other driver later claims for injury or more damage, you will have to explain to your insurer why you didn't report it. If you do, get everything in writing.
Dispute with your insurer: complain to the insurer first, then to the Financial Ombudsman Service (free), which also explains fault claims and no-claims bonuses.

What not to do

Driving away without giving your details, even after a tiny bump to a parked car: if you can't find the owner, leave a note and report it to the police within 24 hours.
Saying "sorry, it was my fault" or signing a statement at the scene.
Waiting weeks to tell your insurer.

Good to know

Keep a pen and a card with your insurer's name and claims number in the glovebox, or save them in your phone.
Scotland and Wales follow the same Road Traffic Act duties; Northern Ireland has its own equivalent law.
Hire, company or lease car: also tell the hire or lease company, following your agreement.

In a supermarket car park in Leicester, Tom reverses into another car at low speed. The other driver is there: they swap names, addresses, registrations and insurers, and Tom photographs both bumpers. That evening, Tom checks the other car on askMID and reports the incident to his insurer online, sticking to the facts.

A made-up story, for illustration.

The figures (latest published)

Reported road casualties in Great Britain, 2025: the Department for Transport published its final 2025 figures in autumn 2026; road deaths fell compared with 2024 while serious injuries rose (DfT, RRCGB 2025). 2026 figures are not yet published.
24 hours: the legal limit to report an accident to the police when details were not exchanged (Road Traffic Act 1988, section 170).

Useful numbers (England)

999: injury, danger on the road, a driver who seems drunk, or a driver fleeing.
101: police non-emergency number, to report an accident without injury.
Your insurer's claims line: on your certificate or app.
Your breakdown cover: if the car can't be driven.

Bobby

Sources, verification, confidence

Verified on 1 November 2026, for England. Confidence: high for the legal duties to stop, give details and report within 24 hours (Road Traffic Act 1988, section 170; Highway Code); high for askMID; medium for insurance questions, which depend on your policy; the road casualty trend is quoted from the DfT 2025 release without precise figures, as we could not confirm them from the search results. This guide describes common cases, not legal advice.