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Have you been involved in a road traffic accident?
Do you want to know how to report it? |
Legal requirements
The law requires that if you have been the driver of a motor vehicle on a road involved in an accident resulting in injury or damage to another person's property or involving some types of animals, you, the driver, must stop and if required by any person having reasonable grounds, provide your name and address, insurance company and name and address of the owner of the vehicle you are driving and its registration mark.
If you do not provide these details, for whatever reason, you must, as soon as possible, and in any event within twenty-four hours of the accident, report the incident to a police officer or at a police station. For full details of the legal requirements consult section 170 of the Road Traffic Act 1988.
There may be reasons why, in addition to the circumstances above, you may wish to report the accident. In such circumstances, the amount of detail recorded by police, if at all, will vary according to the circumstances or the seriousness of the accident.
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You cannot report the accident to police using this website,
or using the website feedback facility.
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If you do so you will not fulfil your legal obligations under the Road Traffic Act
and you may be liable for prosecution for failing to report an accident.
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Attending a police station
You may attend any police station. Your report will, if appropriate, be forwarded to the police of the area in which the accident occurred. Remember to take with you your driving licence, insurance certificate and any other driving documents, together with details of all the vehicles involved, drivers or witnesses etc.
Witnessing an accident
If you witnessed an accident, and wish to report the incident to police, you may telephone or call at any police station but preferably to police in whose area the accident occurred.
Finding a police station
It may help you to find the nearest police station by visiting www.police.uk and search for the region you require. (note: not all police stations are open for enquiries twenty-four hours a day)
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