After an accident, nobody is thinking clearly. The driver is shaken, there may be people hurt and traffic is backing up. What they write down in the next ten minutes is what the insurer, the police and your own team will rely on for months. A checklist helps, and a form that asks the questions in order is better than a blank sheet.
First: safety, not paperwork
If anyone is hurt or the road is blocked, call 999 first. A good report form says so at the top, with a call button, before it asks a single question.
What to capture for a road accident
The facts
- When it happened, to the minute.
- Where: a GPS position and a plain description ("A140 northbound, near the Tesco roundabout").
- What happened, in the driver's words.
- Whether anyone was injured, and who, and how badly.
- Whether the police attended and the reference number.
- Whether the vehicle can still be driven.
The other party
- Their registration, name and phone number.
- Their address and a description of their vehicle: make, model and colour.
- Their insurance: the insurance company, the policy number and the insurer's phone number. A photo of their insurance certificate or documents is the best evidence of all, if they have them.
Photos
- The damage to both vehicles, the whole scene, road markings and any signs. Take more than you think you need.
Warehouse accidents
Accidents in the warehouse are different but follow the same shape: what equipment was involved (a forklift, a pallet truck), where it happened, what happened, who was hurt, whether anyone or anything else was involved, and whether the equipment is safe to use. If it is not, it should come out of use until it has been checked. Photos matter here too.
What the office should do next
- Be told straight away, not at the end of the day. The right people should get an email as soon as the report is sent.
- Check on the people involved before the paperwork.
- Decide about the vehicle or equipment. Out of use until checked, or fine to continue?
- Start the insurer claim with the other party's insurance details already in hand.
- Look for patterns: the same location, driver or piece of equipment appearing again and again.
- Report what has to be reported. Serious injuries and some incidents must be reported to the authorities. Check what applies to you, for example RIDDOR in Great Britain, rather than assuming.
How the apps help
In the driver app, an accident report asks for the time, location (captured from the device if it can be), what happened, injuries, the other party's details including their insurer, policy number and phone, whether the police attended, whether the vehicle can be driven, and photos. In the warehouse app, staff report an accident with equipment, say whether it is safe to use, and add photos.
Both go to a single Accidents section for managers, and the people you choose under alert emails are emailed as each report is sent. More on accident and incident reporting.