Daniel Gigiano Reviews Ohio Traffic Accident Tips

What should you do if you are involved in a traffic accident?  If you get involved in a traffic accident on a public road, you are required to do a number of things.  First, you must stop and remain at the scene.  You must also give your name, address, vehicle license plate number, and name and address of the vehicle owner to the police, persons injured in the accident and to the operator, occupant, or owner of the damaged vehicle.  If he injured person is not in a position to understand or receive this information, you must immediately notify the nearest police authority of the location of the accident, your name and address and your vehicle license plate number.  You must also show your driver’s license to anyone who requests it.  You must also remain at the scene until the police arrive, unless you are transported to another location by ambulance. 

Do Not Immediately Leave The Scene

If you get involved in an accident on a private road, you must still stop at the scene. Upon request,

you must show your driver’s license, and give your name, address, vehicle license plate number, and the name and address of the vehicle owner.  If you do not give this information to the owner or person in charge of the damaged property, you must give the information to the police within 24 hours, along with the date, time and location of the accident.  

If you hit a parked vehicle on a public or private road, you must firmly attach to it in a conspicuous place your name, address, vehicle license plate number and the name and address of the vehicle owner. 

Although you may not always be required to notify the police after an accident, it may be a good idea to do so, because the police can examine the accident scene and divert traffic in the area.  The information that the police gather may be important in the future.  You are not legally required to file a crash report with the Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV), but may do so within 6 months of the accident, using BMV Form 3303, to report that a driver or owner of a vehicle in the accident was not insured.  The BMV may suspend the driver or owner’s driver’s license as a result. 

Show Proof Of Insurance

If you are cited for a traffic ticket and do not show proof of insurance, you must show proof of insurance to the clerk of courts handling your traffic citation.  If you do not do so, you will have a limited (very limited) opportunity to show proof of insurance to the BMV following a conviction on the citation.  If you do not do so, your driver’s license will be suspended from 90 days to two years, you will have to pay a reinstatement fee, and show proof of continuing financial responsibility. 

Your insurance policy likely requires that you cooperate with your insurance company.  Failure to do so may affect your insurance coverage.  However, nobody can force you to make a statement or admit fault.

Be Careful Of What You Do And Say

There are some things that you should do, but are not required to do if you are involved in a traffic

accident.  You should help any injured people, but avoid moving them in any way that may aggravate an injury.  You should avoid moving your vehicles until the police arrive, if traffic and road conditions permit it.  You should write down important information and take pictures.  You should be helpful to the investigating officer, but you are not required to make a statement or any self-incriminating statements.  In more serious cases, be aware that the police may take steps to obtain and examine your vehicle’s “black box,” which will give vital information about the vehicle’s operation in the final seconds prior to the accident.