The cold and frigid air began to coat the roads with ice. As senior Clara Dye steered around the corner, a car slid on the ice and hit her vehicle. Upon impact, she became struck by the reality that she had become a victim of a car crash.

A flurry of emotions rushed through Dye’s mind as she realized that she had been hit.

“I was in shock at first … ,” Dye said. “I had never been driving before and got into a wreck, so I was kind of surprised, but then I kind of panicked, and (I) didn’t know what to do for a minute.”

According to Darrigo & Diaz, personal injury lawyers, there are roughly over 6 million car crashes per year. This remains one of the leading causes of death in the U.S.

While car crashes are one of the many the dangers of driving, there are a variety of ways one can get through the situation and possibly prevent it from happening again.

First things first

After getting into a car crash, there can be many thoughts racing through one’s mind. However, instead of panicking, the first thing that someone should do is stay calm and assess the situation.

First, check to see if anyone from either party is injured. Regardless of whether someone is harmed or not, one person should call the police. The police can help decipher whose fault the crash was and help ease any tension caused from the crash.

If someone is injured, paramedics should be called to the scene to attend to any injured individuals and provide them with the medical attention that they need.

Afterwards, the police will fill out an accident report, which tells an accurate story of what actually happened when the crash occurred.

“Sometimes, if it’s a little fender-bender, people don’t call the police, and what will happen is (they think) ‘If I’m in a small accident, (and) it’s not my fault, we will just exchange information,’ (but) the person whose fault it is might not tell the truth,” school resource officer Jeff Patterson said. “But if you have a police report, then you know that police … are indifferent. So that police report will tell the accurate story.”

It is always vital for each party to exchange information, regardless of whether anyone is injured or not. Each party should make sure they swap names, license plate numbers and insurance information.

Also, check to see if there were any witnesses on the scene. Get their information to have a third party perspective, which can also help determine who’s at fault.

“One of the biggest mistakes that they make is not getting information from other people who might have been at the scene and witnessed what happened,” State Farm insurance agent Sarah Holtrup said.

Insurance

After the police have attended to the situation, the next thing that one should do is communicate with their insurance company.

As soon as their insurance agent knows about the accident, they will fill out a Certificate of Compliance (COC) if a police officer was on scene.

This certificate ensures that both parties had insurance at the time of the accident. It is sent over to the Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV) and it will be verified from there. It must be sent within 90 days of the accident.

If the BMV does not get that information, then they will continue to send out notices to the driver reminding them to have their insurance agent fill it out, and there can be serious consequences if it does not get submitted.

“If (the COC) doesn’t get filed, then your license could get suspended,” Holtrup said. “So it’s important that they get that filed.”

When driving, the state requires every vehicle to be insured, so if their vehicle is not insured at the time of the accident, then they are responsible and have to pay for all damages caused to both parties. Also, they must pay for all medical expenses if someone is injured.

When it comes to insurance, the agent will simply go over the claims, medical expenses and property damage.

The agent’s goal is to make the aftermath of the crash an easy process for the victim.

“When people call here … , whether it’s on the scene of an accident or afterwards, we will essentially go over their coverages, let them know what to expect (and) give them advice,” State Farm insurance agent Drew Dozier said.

Preventing an accident

Though driving can be dangerous, there are many precautions one can take to stay safe on the road.

Making sure that all distractions are off and put away is one way to prevent accidents from occurring.

According to personal injury lawyers Serious Accidents, distracted driving is the leading cause of car accidents in the U.S.

By turning one’s phone off, turning down the radio, not eating or drinking and avoiding passenger interaction, one can possibly avoid any to all accidents and make sure that they are being a safe driver.

“When you get into the car, and you’re driving, your focus needs to be on driving, and because there are so many distractions … we tend to get absorbed into that,” Holtrup said. “So (we need to) be focused on driving and keeping yourself safe, keeping our passengers safe and keeping the people around us safe.”

Another thing to make sure of when driving is obeying the speed limit. When someone exceeds the speed limit, they are putting themselves and others in danger.

If anyone is hit by a driver exceeding the speed limit, they could be susceptible to fatality or serious injuries.

According to the National Safety Council, in 2022, 29% of accidents were caused by someone surpassing the speed limit, causing 12,151 deaths overall.

“Unsafe speed is one of the biggest reasons for accidents,” Patterson said. “(People might think) ‘If I was going the right speed, maybe I would have avoided it or the damage would not have been so bad.’”

While following the speed limit is critical, it is also important to make sure one isn’t going exceptionally slow. If someone is driving too slowly, then they could be likely to be overtaken and get into a crash.

By educating students on the dangers of driving, it allows them to be less prone to getting into a car accident.

Since most accidents are caused by distracted driving and exceeding the speed limit, it is important for students to watch out for these factors while driving so they can protect themselves and fellow drivers.

“Don’t ever get too comfortable,” Dye said. “Nobody is perfect at driving, so you can’t ever be distracted. If you get super comfortable, and you’re like ‘That’s never going to happen to me,’ it can happen to anybody. So just always be aware of what is going on around you.”