A Driver’s Playbook

What to Do After an Accident

The insurance company has a script for the next few weeks. This is yours. A step-by-step playbook for the hours, days, and weeks after a crash, built from what state insurance regulators and the collision industry actually say, and written to protect you.

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The Playbook

Four Phases, One Rule: Don’t Be Rushed

Almost every costly mistake after an accident comes from moving at someone else’s pace. Here’s what to do at each stage, and where you get to slow things down.

The First Hour

At the Scene

Your only jobs right now: keep people safe, build a record, and say less than you think you need to.

Get safe, then call 911

Move out of traffic if you can. If it isn’t safe to get out of the car, stay in it. Report any injuries when you call.

Get the police on record

Even for a fender-bender. Take down the officer’s name and badge number, and ask where to get the accident report and its number.

Document everything

Photos from every angle, the other car’s License Plate, VIN, skid marks, weather, and road conditions. Note the time and exact location, and get names and numbers of witnesses.

Watch your words

Be courteous, but don’t admit fault, even to be polite. Exchange your name and insurance details plus whatever your state requires, and nothing extra.

Before You File

Get Ahead of the Insurance Company

Don’t reach for the phone yet. The single most useful thing you can do in the first day is find out what the repair actually costs, because if it’s less than your deductible, you can decide whether to file a claim or not.

Get your number before they get theirs

Pick a certified collision repair facility in the locator and get a free AI estimate: upload a few photos of the damage and you’ll have a preliminary number in about a minute, before anyone else is involved.

Do the deductible math

If the estimate comes in under your deductible, an approved claim pays you nothing. You’d cover the whole repair yourself either way, and the accident would sit on your claims record. Run the numbers before you report.

Know when to report anyway

If another driver was involved, anyone might be hurt, or your policy requires prompt notice, report it. Skipping that can put your coverage at risk if the other side files first. Check your policy before deciding.

If you file, don’t be rushed

Fast doesn’t mean fair. Regulators are blunt about it: you don’t have to accept a payment that feels short, the adjuster doesn’t have the last word, and you can ask for every decision in writing.

Expect the “preferred shop” nudge

Preferred networks are built around the insurer’s costs. Consumer advocates, including a former insurance appraiser, have testified that network shops can end up repairing to what the insurer will pay rather than what the repair needs. “I’ve already chosen my shop” is a complete answer.

Keep your paper trail going

Your photos, your estimate, the police report number, every adjuster email. The driver with the better records wins the disagreement.

Before Repairs Begin

Choosing the Auto Body Shop

This is the single biggest decision you’ll make, and it’s yours. Most states protect your right to pick the body shop by law, and no insurer can require you to use theirs.

Pick the certified shop, even if it’s farther away

Certified shops are audited for the training, equipment, and manufacturer repair procedures your vehicle needs after an accident. Search certified auto body shops near you.

Ask what parts are on the estimate

Genuine OEM, aftermarket, salvage, or remanufactured. Many states require the part types to be disclosed in writing, and states like California and North Carolina hold non-OEM parts to equal-quality standards. Compare part types.

Ask about calibration

If your car has driver-assist features, ask which systems and mounting locations were affected and what the vehicle procedure requires. Read the ADAS calibration guide.

Make them explain the paperwork

Have the shop walk you through every line and acronym before you sign. Learn how to read a collision repair estimate.

If It Turns Into a Fight

Push Back, in Order

Most claims settle without a fight. When one doesn’t, there’s an escalation ladder, and each rung is free before you ever need a lawyer.

The escalation ladder

  1. Push back with the insurer directly, in writing. Ask for the written basis of any decision you disagree with.
  2. Contact your state insurance department’s consumer services team. Investigating unfair claim handling is their job.
  3. For a dispute about the vehicle’s value, check your policy for an appraisal clause and invoke it.
  4. If it’s still stuck, hire an attorney or a licensed public adjuster.

Two things worth knowing

  1. Total loss is a formula, not a feeling. Each state sets its own threshold; North Carolina, for example, totals a vehicle when repairs reach 75% of its pre-accident value. Ask which rule applies to you.
  2. Diminished value is real money. Your repaired car may be worth less with an accident reported on its history. Only Georgia lets you claim it from your own insurer under settled law; elsewhere it usually goes through the at-fault driver’s insurer.
Free AI Estimate

Know Your Number Before You File

Whether a claim is even worth filing comes down to one number, and you can have it before the insurance company knows anything happened. Pick a certified shop in the locator and upload a few photos of the damage. The AI reads them, matches genuine OEM parts for your exact vehicle, then prices the repair with real labor rates. You get a free preliminary estimate in about a minute. If it’s under your deductible, you may have saved yourself a claim; if it’s over, you walk into the conversation informed. The shop confirms the final price in person.

Get a Free AI Estimate Understand Your Estimate
  1. Find a certified body shop near you
  2. Upload a few photos of the damage
  3. Compare your estimate to your deductible
Quick Answers

After an Accident: Common Questions

Straight answers to what drivers ask most in the first days after a crash.

Know Your Rights
What should I do first after a car accident?

Get everyone safe and call 911 if anyone might be hurt. If it isn't safe to get out of the car, stay put. Then call the police even for a minor crash: the report number and the officer's name and badge make everything that follows easier. Photograph the scene, note the time, place, and road conditions, and get contact details for any witnesses.

Should I file an insurance claim for minor damage?

Get a repair estimate first. If it comes in under your deductible, an approved claim pays you nothing: you'd cover the whole repair yourself either way, and the accident may sit on your claims record. A free AI estimate from a certified shop takes about a minute and gives you the number before the insurer has one. If another driver was involved, anyone might be hurt, or your policy requires prompt notice, report it regardless.

Do I have to use the body shop my insurance company recommends?

No. An insurer can recommend a shop, but the choice belongs to you, and most states back that up with law. In California, for example, an insurer can't even suggest one unless you ask for a referral or it has told you in writing about your right to choose. Pick the shop you trust, then tell the insurer where the car is going.

Should I accept the insurance company's first settlement offer?

Not if it feels short. State insurance regulators put it plainly: you don't have to accept a payment you don't feel is fair, and you shouldn't feel rushed into agreeing. Ask the adjuster to explain decisions in writing, and compare the offer against a real repair estimate before you sign anything.

What if the insurer's estimate is lower than the shop's?

That gap is common, and it isn't the end of the conversation. A good shop documents what a proper repair requires and works the difference out with the insurer. If you still disagree on value, check your policy for an appraisal clause, and ask your state insurance department's consumer services team for help.

Does my car need recalibration after a crash?

It may. The requirement depends on the vehicle, installed systems, damage, alignment, parts removed or replaced, and the manufacturer’s repair procedures. Ask the shop which systems are affected, what procedures apply, and what scan or calibration documentation you will receive.

What is diminished value, and can I claim it?

Diminished value is what your car potentially loses in resale value just from carrying an accident history. Georgia is the only state with settled law letting you claim it from your own insurer. Elsewhere it's usually pursued against the at-fault driver's insurer, and it may take an attorney to collect.

Sources

The Next Move Is Yours

You’ve got the playbook. Start where every good outcome starts: a shop that’s been independently verified to repair your vehicle the way its maker intended.

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