Being involved in a car accident can be a scary time for a driver. Whether it’s a minor bump or a more serious collision, accidents can be a traumatic experience and can leave drivers and their passengers feeling shaken - with drivers often feeling apprehensive about getting back behind the wheel.

As a Citygate customer, you won’t have to deal with the stress of a car accident alone. Today, we’re taking you through what to do if you ever find yourself in an unwelcome situation - covering everything from damage inspection and dealing with insurance companies, to organising courtesy vehicles and cosmetic repairs to help you get back on the road.

  1. Stop. It is against the law to leave the scene of an accident, even if it is minor.
  2. Make sure you're safe and visible. Whether it’s a head-on crash or you’ve clipped the side of another vehicle, turn on your hazard lights (if possible), move the vehicle off the road as much as you can and then exit the vehicle. 
  3. Call the emergency services. For drivers and passengers with potentially fatal injuries, every minute counts. Call for an ambulance as soon as it’s safe to do so, and move any injured parties away from the road, however, if head injuries are visible, try not to move the casualty. If you can’t see any obvious injuries, it’s still a good idea to have everyone checked out and have a medical professional declare you fit and well.
  4. Exchange information. Whether you’ve collided with another vehicle or a stationary object, eyewitness accounts can help with claims further down the line - so be sure to get contact details from onlookers and passers-by. This can also help to determine who, if anyone, is legally responsible for any damages. If you are in an accident with another driver, exchange contact and registration details at the earliest opportunity. This will prove important when contacting their insurance company later on.
  5. Take pictures. A lot of drivers now chose to instal dash cams as this may help provide evidence if an accident occurs. As long as you are not interfering with the on-going police investigation, you should take pictures of any damage or injuries sustained as a result of the accident, these may be useful evidence.
  6. Call roadside assistance. It's good practice to have your roadside assistance number saved in your phone to save yourself the time and stress of trying to find the right number to call while you are on the side of the road at the scene of an accident or breakdown. 
  7. Call our Citygate One number. When you’re shaken from a collision, the last thing you want to be doing is dealing with insurance companies and trying to organise a courtesy car from the side of the road. That’s why we’re here to help, here’s how... 

We'll talk to the insurance company

We have dedicated accident aftercare specialists at all but one of our locations. We don’t just send an estimate to the insurance company – we take care of the whole claim from start to finish. That means we manage it from first notification to the moment your vehicle is handed over to you when the repairs are complete. That means one point of contact for you and a lot less stress.

We’ll get the quotes

We’ll make sure you don’t pay over the odds. We use Audatex – the industry standard estimating system. It uses repair times set by the manufacturers and so it helps us make sure you get transparency and avoid inflated prices.

We’ll book your car in

We’ll book your car in for you. You can rest assured that your car will be repaired by Citygate accident aftercare specialists.

We’ll arrange a courtesy car

If you need a temporary car while yours is being repaired, we’ll arrange one for you – delivered and collected – to minimise any inconvenience to you.

We’ll be with you every step of the way

We’re here to make things easier for you after an accident – to simplify the administration and take away the hassles and headaches. It’s why we created Citygate One. By dialling one number, 0208 416 2780, a personal Citygate representative is on hand to manage all the details for you. Save this number now and we promise it will save you time, money and hassle.