What should I do after a motorcycle accident?

BEING involved in a motorcycle accident is never something anyone wants to be involved in. Personal injury and family anguish aside, just the thought of my bike sliding down the road on its side gives me the jitters.

The thing is, there comes a time that some of us will drop a bike or have some numpty on their phone make a move that punts us off. Either way, here’s everything you should do after that event to make sure you’re safe and to ensure you get the help you need.

What should I do Immediately after a crash?

First things first, make sure you’re okay. If the road is quiet and there is no immediate danger, sit up, count your fingers and check you can move your arms. If you can move on your own, stand up and get yourself to an area safer than the middle of the road.

Now you are a bit less at risk have a think if there is anywhere that hurts more than your pride. Don’t go mad through, the adrenalin coursing through your veins will do a very good job of masking much of the pain. You may have to wait for a bit later before the aches and pains begin to kick in fully.

Next up we need to check the area around us is safe, a non-biking member of the public approaching a bike that’s on its side and in gear with the engine running is an injury waiting to happen! The important thing here is to not move the bike, doing so would impede any investigation the police need to carry out. Make it safe but don’t bugger up your chances of getting paid out by your insurance.

Should I call the police after a crash?

Absolutely, always get on the phone as soon as you can and if possible get the police to attend. The driver of the vehicle could be uninsured, banned or even over the limit. It’s their job to find that out. The emergency services call handler will almost always send an ambulance too – even if you don’t feel like you need it, accept it. I guarantee after 15 minutes standing at the side of the road you’ll feel like you could do with it!

While waiting for the police

Now go and speak to the other driver, get their details – name, insurer and reg number – and save it in the notes function of your phone or even record the conversation on your phone. Get your phone out and get some pictures of the aftermath and make sure you grab the registration of the other vehicle involved. This ensures the driver gives the same reg for the vehicle they are driving.

Video the scene

With modern phones being so good, it’s a good idea to record a quick video of the scene and talk to the camera about what you were doing at the time and what happened. More than anything the scene will be fresher in your mind now than it will in a few hours when you come to speak to your insurers.

Detailed, clear images build a picture of the incident

Get as many detailed pictures of your bike and any damage to it. Also, get a load of pictures of the other vehicle. And not just detailed pictures of damage, take a few showing the whole vehicle. Where the damage is on the car is as important as the damage itself. It helps the insurers and the courts to build a timeline of the incident if needed.

Do I have to notify my insurance company of a crash?

Regardless of who you think is at fault, you must call your insurer as soon as you can. The reason is it puts the driver of the vehicle on the back foot, preventing the driver from denying the incident occurred.

Should I admit liability after a crash?

Now, and this is a very important part of the process – even if you possibly were at fault, never verbally disclose this to the third party or anyone at the scene. Ever! For one thing, you may not be thinking straight after the prang, and looking out of the peephole of your visor you may not have the full story of what led up to the incident. The other reason is that once an admission is made it cannot be reversed. Doing so could be classed as perjury which is kind of frowned upon in courts!

What can I do to help before a crash has happened?

• Buy legal cover – if you need it, it’s the best £29,99 you’ll spend
• Buy the highest level of cover possible – for many riders comp cover can be the cheapest
• Wear the best kit you can reasonably afford
• Take some advanced motorcycle training
• Get to a Biker Down course – it may not help you but you could save another biker