I’ve been in a car accident before. Granted, it wasn’t my fault at all (both my opinion and the insurance company’s opinion). However, once it happened, I realized that I should have been better prepared for the car accident the day it happened. Since I realized this, I decided to make a checklist for things to have in case of a car accident. Here we go.

Insurance Papers

Make sure you have your insurance papers ready to give to the other party in case they need to see them. These can also come in handy to give to the police if they arrive on the scene of the car accident. In some states, having car insurance is mandatory for the operation of a motor vehicle and you can be fined if you don’t have any insurance. Make sure you insurance paperwork is in order before finding out that it is necessary to have.

Pen and paper

Guess what? Most people (myself included until recently) don’t carry around the necessary equipment in order to write down the other party’s information for insurance claim purposes. Make sure you buy some pens that actually have ink in them and some decent paper in order to write the driver’s information. Stow these handy items in your glove box and you’ll be ready.

Digital camera or cell phone camera

This can come in quite handy in the case of a disagreement of facts over what happened at a car accident. After the accident happens, taking a few snapshots of both your vehicle and the other driver’s vehicle can be great evidence if there is a trial or if either insurance agency tries to deny responsibility. A lot of the newest cell phones come equipped with cameras inside of them that can take and store a huge amount of digital camera photos. Use your cell phone camera to take some on the scene snapshots.

These are just the tip of the iceberg for way to be prepared for a car accident. Dash cameras are another great idea to have in your car in case there is a hit and run, and it makes it easier for the car insurance to be able to see what happened. No one wants to have a car accident but they are a fact of driving on the road, it’s possible. The goal is to try to make your life easier by having things to make the car accident and reporting go over smoother.