Luckily the majority of road accidents which occur in the UK are small bumps and result in only minor damage to cars and injury to the people involved. Whether your car accident is a tiny bump or a huge smash, any road accident solicitor will tell you you're legally obliged to stop and exchange details with anyone else involved. This may include other drivers, passengers, pedestrians, motorcyclists or cyclists. So in the immediate aftermath of an accident, what would a road accident solicitor do?

First, you are legally obliged to stop and exchange details. Take a note of names, addresses, phone numbers and insurance details. Also write down registration number. You should also take down a detailed description of the car including its make, model, year, colour and the damage on it. If possible, take photos of any damage to your car, or the other car, your road accident solicitor might use this as evidence to demonstrate the level of damage to your vehicle if you weren't to blame and choose to make a claim.

Your road accident solicitor will also need information about the exact location of the accident, which may be used as evidence if you make a claim against the other driver. Taking photos of the accident scene is another good way of recording the evidence. If you have no camera, a detailed sketch will help to keep this information fresh in your mind.

It is important to remain calm and refrain from placing the blame, or accepting it in the immediate aftermath of the accident. If you are not at fault and make a claim your road accident solicitor will have a harder time proving your innocence if you behaved irrationally and accepted responsibility at the accident scene. Your judgement may be clouded because you are in shock after the accident so some witness statements of passers by might be useful for your road accident solicitor in the event of making a claim. Note down the names and addresses of witnesses but do not press them for a statement there and then.

The police do not attend road accidents unless there is serious injury, but it might be a good idea to inform them all the same. Should the insurance details of the other driver not be forthcoming, having reported the incident to the police will be in your favour. Whether the accident is your fault or not, most insurance policies stipulate that you must inform the insurer of any accident in which you are involved.