Car accidents
Car accidents may happen that involve cars and other vehicles that can be driven or ridden on a road, such as bikes, motorbikes, and buses.
You may need to make a claim for the damage or respond to a claim if your car has been damaged, or someone else's car has been damaged in a car accident.
This topic has information about:
If you have been injured in a car accident and would like to make a claim about those injuries, see 
Motor accident injury claims on the State Insurance Regulatory Authority (SIRA) website.
What to do after an accident
After an accident there are several things you need to do.
This section covers:
- Injuries
- Reporting the accident to the police
- Exchanging details
- Evidence
- Insurance.
For more information, see What to do after an accident.
Who is responsible?
The person who is at fault for the accident is the person who caused the accident. However, the person responsible for paying for the damage may be someone else.
This section covers:
- Fault
- Owners and drivers
- Driving for work
- Taxis, buses and trucks
- Hire cars
- Bikes
- Accidents involving animals.
For more information, see Who is responsible?
Evidence
You should collect evidence as soon as possible after the accident. This will help you to either make a claim or respond to a claim.
This section covers:
-
Evidence about fault
-
Evidence about damage and losses.
For more information, see
Evidence.
Making a claim
If your car was damaged in a car accident and it was the other driver's fault, you may wish to make a claim against that driver for the damage and losses. You can phone them, send them an email or sms, or write them a letter. A common way to make a claim is to send a letter of demand.
If you are insured, you will need to consider whether to make a claim under your insurance policy.
This section covers:
- Identifying the other party
- Insurance
- Letter of demand.
For more information, see
Making a claim.
Responding to a claim
If you were in a car accident and a car was damaged, the driver or owner of that car might make a claim against you if they believe it was your fault. They may send you a letter of demand, or they might phone you, or send you an email or sms. If they are insured, their insurer may contact you.
There are different ways that you can respond to their claim.
If you are insured, you will need to consider whether to make a claim under your insurance policy.
This section covers:
- Agreeing with the claim
- Denying you were at fault
- Asking for more information
- Negotiating
- Making a claim on your insurance policy
- Responding to a letter of demand.
For more information, see
Responding to a claim.
Settling your dispute
If you have a dispute with someone about a car accident, it is really important to try to settle that dispute without going to court.
This section covers:
- The benefits of settling your claim
- Ways to settle your claim.
For more information, see Settling your dispute.
Going to court
If you can't settle your dispute, you may end up in court. It is a good idea to try to avoid going to court by settling your dispute, if possible.
This section covers:
- Which court?
- Time limits
- Does someone owe you money after a car accident?
- Is someone chasing you for money after a car accident?
For more information, see
Going to court.
Flowcharts
This section gives you a visual overview of how to send or respond to a letter of demand.
For more information, see Flowcharts.
Forms
This section has instructions, samples, letters and statements.
For more information, see Forms.
Frequently Asked Questions
This section has answers to common questions that you may have about car accidents.
For more information, see
Frequently Asked Questions.
Last updated: January 2021