s/o Are your young driver's prepared for an accident

[MtnTeaching]

I just saw swimmermom3 and Miss Marple's post on accidents their teens/young adult drivers have experienced.  I made me realize that I have not done a good job of having all of our vehicles prepared for such an instance.  I have a good book that lists steps to take and information pertaining to an accident.  As I was typing it out to include in our cars, I decided to just post it as well.  It might jog other's memories, too. 

 

If anyone has other good recommendations - I would love to hear them. 

 

I have a good book that has a good list of "Important Information About the Driver" that our family drivers should have handy in the glove compartment:

 

"Important Information About the Driver"

Name

Address

Home phone

Work/cell phone

Parent's work/cell phone

Primary-care doctor and phone

Neighbor, relative phone

Driver license number

Car registration number

Insurance company, phone, and policy number

Auto club member number, phone

Towing company phone

 

To do if in a crash:

If you're OK, things will be fine.  Cars can be replaced. You can't.  (If you are hurt and are able, call 911 immediately and seek medical help.)

Get yourself and the car off the road as far as you can.

Put a flare (or three) on the road 50 yards or more behind your car and activate hazard lights.

Dial 911 to alert the police, and then call home.

Alert your insurance company and auto club or tow company if necessary.

To protect yourself legally, do not argue, blame, or admit error about the cause of the crash to others involved in it or to anyone else.  Just describe what happened, and only to the investigating police officer.

Give the other driver and the investigating officer your license and insurance information.

Get the names and phone numbers of any witnesses to the crash, including any passengers riding in the other car.

Photograph your car, the other car, and the scene of the crash. ( Keep a cheap camera in the car if cell phone do not have the feature.)

 

Write down the following information:  (make sure you have a printed copy of this page, other paper/notebook, and pen in glove compartment)

Other driver(s) involved in the crash:

Name 

Address

Home phone

Work/cell phone

Driver license number & state

License plate number & state

Make, model, color of car

Registration number

Insurance company, policy number

Insurance Company phone

 

Investigating Police Officer

Name

Badge number

Department

 

Trunk should contain:

Quart of oil

Windshield-washer fluid

Blanket

Bag of cat litter for traction in ice and snow

First-aid kit

Can of pressured air for flat tires

Jumper Cables

Emergency flares

Two blocks of wood or bricks (for blocking tires while changing a flat) we went to an Wally Mart and just bought chocks. They pack in the emergency box easier.

Fire extinguisher

Duct tape (for sealing hose leaks)

Spare tire (regularly check air pressure), jack

Tool kit  (we also have a "Leatherman" that we have used several times.)

Bottle of water

Small shovel

Rags

Ice scraper/snow brush

 

Your glove compartment should include:

Maps or GPS

Small flashlight with fresh batteries

Pens, small notebook

Extra Sunglasses

Wet Wipes

Tire pressure guage

Disposable camera

Proof of insurance

Owner's registration

Owner's manual

Important Information worksheet from above

[swimmermom3]

Leslie, thanks so much for posting this. We just experienced unprecedented snowfall here with freezing rain on top of it all yesterday, so we've discovered a few more gaps in our "automobile preparedness."

 

I would also suggest that everyone talk to their young drivers about a plan for coping with accidents involving wildlife or domestic pets.  Every family will have a different take on the ethics involved. This is where the small shovel listed above, a plastic garbage sack or two or a cardboard box come in handy.

[MtnTeaching]

I was having lunch with my kids and talking about this today.  As we talked about things I had experienced in my past, I realized that I needed to alert them to something that is unfortunate, but a reality of life.  

 

I have been involved in two accidents where the other drivers both tried to run after hitting me or causing the accident.  In one instance, I was able to get the license tag and immediately call the police (they were caught).  

 

In the other one, I was on a lonely divided highway when a man turned directly across my lane in front of me from the lane to my right.  I was going 55 miles an hour.  I was going to T-bone him, but managed to turn with him and slide into the side of his jacked up pick-up.  I was in my early 20's and had my grandmother and 4 other elderly great-aunts in the car.  Several were injured, one severely (broken ribs and punctured lung).  He got out, asked if everyone was OK and then turned toward his truck.  I could see it in his eyes that he was about to run.  My adrenaline kicked in and I beat the over six foot man in his early 30's to his truck, dove in, grabbed his keys, screamed at him to help the others, and then ran over a mile back down the divided freeway to the gas station. (Pre-cell phone time).  Looking back, it was probably not the smartest thing I have ever done, but I was obviously imposing enough that he did not try and stop me.

 

Having the clear thought to grab a license number can help in situations where the other person looks as if they are about to run.  I have also helped others when I saw this happen. I continues to amaze me how many people out there will not take responsibility for their errors or bad judgement.

[mamajudy]

Hit-and-runs are very common here. A coworker of DH was hit by a guy who took off, and the first thing the police asked her was if she got the license number. He said the first thing you should do is take a picture, before they have a chance to run.