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Step 1 — Make the Scene Safe
Bring the car to a stop, switch on the hazard lights, and check yourself and your passengers for injury before anything else. If anyone is hurt, call 10111 for the police or 10177 for an ambulance straight away — people come before paperwork.
If the vehicle is drivable and creating a hazard, ease it to the side of the road; if it cannot move, set out a warning triangle at a safe distance to alert oncoming traffic. Getting everyone out of the path of other cars is the first priority on a South African road, where secondary collisions are a real risk.
Step 2 — Report to the Police
Any accident involving injury, meaningful property damage, or another party should be reported to the SAPS, and you will need the case number for your insurer. The law requires you to report within 24 hours at your nearest police station if you did not do so at the scene.
For a minor knock between two drivers with no injuries, an accident report lodged at a SAPS station within that 24-hour window is enough. Reporting is not optional courtesy — it is a legal duty, and the case number is one of the first things a claim handler will ask for.
Step 3 — Capture the Scene
Photograph widely and then closely: every vehicle from several angles, the damage in detail, all registration plates, the position of the cars, the road and weather conditions, traffic signs and any skid marks or debris. The pictures you take in the first few minutes are evidence you cannot recreate later.
Then exchange the essentials with the other driver — full name, ID number, phone, address, vehicle registration, and insurer and policy details — and take down the contact details of any witnesses. Independent witnesses can settle a disputed account of fault long after the scene is cleared.
Step 4 — Never Admit Fault at the Scene
However the accident feels in the moment, do not say it was your fault or apologise in a way that accepts blame. Fault is determined by assessors and, where needed, investigators from the physical evidence — not from words spoken under stress at the roadside.
An admission made at the scene can be used against you and can complicate your insurer's position, even if the evidence later shows you were not to blame. Stay civil, exchange information, and let the formal process decide liability.
Step 5 — Tell Your Insurer Promptly
Contact your insurer as soon as you reasonably can — most require it within a day or two — even if you are unsure whether you will claim. Reporting the incident and lodging a claim are separate things, and notifying early keeps your options open.
Have the case number, your photographs, the other party's details and a short factual account of events ready when you call. A prompt, clear notification is the foundation of a smooth claim and removes one of the easiest grounds an insurer has to push back.
What If You Do Not Report Within 24 Hours
Missing the 24-hour reporting window is a traffic offence in its own right and weakens any later claim, because the insurer can argue it was denied the chance to verify the circumstances while they were fresh. The longer the gap, the harder the position becomes.
If circumstances genuinely prevented you reporting in time — hospitalisation, for instance — report at the first opportunity and explain the delay honestly. A documented, unavoidable reason is treated very differently from simply leaving it too long.
When the Accident Is Not Your Fault
Where another driver is to blame, you can still claim on your own comprehensive policy and let your insurer recover its costs from the other party — a process called subrogation — which usually gets your car repaired fastest. If you would rather claim directly against the other driver, you will need their full details and a clear evidence trail.
A not-at-fault claim should not cost you your no-claim bonus, provided the insurer records it correctly, so confirm it is logged as non-fault. The same scene discipline — photos, witnesses, no admission of blame — is what makes proving the other party's fault possible.