The minutes right after a collision are stressful, and stress makes it easy to forget the basics. A clear order of actions protects your safety, your legal position, and your insurance claim. Here are the first five things to do after a material-damage traffic accident.
1. Make sure everyone is safe
Your first priority is people, not paperwork. Check yourself and your passengers, then the people in the other vehicle. If anyone is injured, do not move them unnecessarily and call 112 immediately. Injury accidents are not handled with a self-completed report — emergency services and the traffic police must be involved.
If it is only material damage and the scene is dangerous (a fast lane, a blind curve, a tunnel), move the vehicles to a safe spot only after you have photographed their original positions. Turn on your hazard lights and place the warning triangle.
2. Document the scene before anything moves
Evidence disappears the moment cars are moved or the road is cleared. Take photos and short videos that capture:
- The position of both vehicles relative to the road and each other
- All visible damage on every vehicle, close up and wide
- License plates, traffic signs, lane markings and traffic lights
- Skid marks, debris and any road conditions (ice, oil, potholes)
- The wider scene, so the location is identifiable
More documentation is always better than less. These images become the backbone of the fault assessment later.
Get the other driver’s name, phone number, plate number, and insurance details. Stay polite and avoid arguments about who is at fault — that is not something to settle on the roadside. Determining fault is a technical matter, and trying to negotiate it under stress rarely helps.
4. Call for an expert report
This is the step most people get wrong. Instead of relying only on a simple form, you can have an official material-damage traffic accident detection report drawn up by an SBM-registered insurance adjuster under Law 5684, article 22/17. Unlike the simple mutual report that drivers fill out themselves, this report carries the adjuster’s professional opinion, including a fault assessment and a scene sketch.
With Alo Tutanak, you call our 7/24 line, our experts guide you on the phone, and a licensed adjuster prepares the official report. The service is free for you — the adjuster fee is allocated from the traffic insurance under Law 5684, so there is nothing out of your pocket. You can read more about how this works on our how it works page and about the adjuster-approved accident report.
5. Notify your insurer and keep your records
Once the report is secured, notify your insurance company and open your claim file (we cover that in a separate guide). Keep every photo, the report, and your notes together. A complete, well-documented file moves through the claims process far faster than a thin one.
A quick checklist
- People first — injuries mean 112, then 155/156.
- Photograph and film the scene before moving anything.
- Exchange details without arguing about fault.
- Get an expert report from a licensed adjuster — free for you.
- Notify your insurer and keep all records.
Accidents are unpredictable, but your response does not have to be. Knowing these five steps in advance turns a chaotic moment into a manageable one. When you are ready, download the Alo Tutanak app so the right help is one tap away the next time the road surprises you.
