AUTO ACCIDENTS

	What To Do if You Have an Accident
	Motor Vehicle Accident Statistics
	Sometimes Bigger is Better
	Cellular Phones -- A Big Risk to Drivers
	Automobile Replacement Parts Study

What To Do if You Have an Accident
(Click graphic to your right for convenient brochure!)

Aid The Injured

1. Don't move injured individuals unless absolutely necessary.
2. Warn other drivers.

Call The Police

1. Give the exact location and advise if medical help is needed.
2. Write down the name and badge number of police who assist you. Are they state or local police, or the county sheriff's deputies?
3. Was anyone given a ticket? If so, who?
4. Was anyone injured? If so, see "Obtain Facts About Injured Person(s)."

Record Facts About YOUR Vehicle

1. Date, time and location of accident
2. Driver's name, age, address and telephone number
3. Name of driver's employer
4. Nature of damage to your vehicle

Obtain Facts About OTHER Vehicle(s)

1. Driver's name, address and telephone number
2. Make and year of vehicle, license number and registration number
3. Insurance company's name, address and telephone number
4. Nature of damage to the other vehicle(s)

Obtain Facts About Injured Person(s)

1. Name, age, address, and nature of injury of anyone injured.
2. Was injured in policyholder's vehicle, in other vehicle, or a pedestrian?
3. Nature of Injury.
4. Where were they taken, or treated?

Record Facts About Other Property Damaged (Non-Vehicles)

1. Property owner's name, address and telephone number
2. Object Damaged
3. Nature of Damage

Get Witnesses

1. Get the name, address and telephone numbers of at least two people who saw the accident.

Describe The Accident

1. Describe what happened and draw a complete diagram of the area showing your vehicle and other vehicles involved.
2. Indicate North direction.
3. Include the city and state, as well as street or highway number.

Call Your Agent or Insurance Company Representative

Motor Vehicle Accident Statistics

A motor vehicle death occurs on average once every 13 minutes and an injury every 14 seconds, according to the National Safety Council. Motor vehicle accidents claimed 42,103 lives in 1997.

Accidents by Age of Drivers

Rural vs. Urban Statistics

Sometimes, Bigger is Better

One design characteristic which plays an important part in auto safety is the size of the vehicle. The laws of physics dictate that, everything else being equal, the larger the vehicle crush zones, the lower the crash forces reaching the occupants. When it comes to size, the safety message is clear. Bigger is better. In relation to their numbers on the road, small vehicles account for more than twice as many occupant deaths.

Some people claim that small cars are easier to maneuver in an emergency - and thus less likely to be in crashes. This simply isn't true. Some small cars may be more maneuverable than some large cars, but they're not less likely to be in crashes. Claims for crash damage and occupant injuries are more frequent for small cars than for large ones.

Some say the danger of small cars could be minimized if all cars were smaller, thus reducing the likelihood of mismatches between big and little cars in crashes. But most deaths in small cars occur in either single-vehicle crashes or collisions with vehicles other than cars. The death rate in single-vehicle crashes of the smallest cars is more than double the rate of the largest cars.

When it comes to auto safety, bigger IS better.

Cellular Phones -- A Big Risk to Drivers

According to the New England Journal of Medicine, drivers using cell phones increase the risk of having an accident four-fold. Using a hands-free phone did not appear to improve crash risk. If you're using a car phone while driving -- please be careful.

Automobile Replacement Parts Study

The Alliance of American Insurers has released the latest Automobile Replacement Parts Study using a 1999 Toyota Camry LE. If parts were purchased separately, a Toyota that costs $23,263 from the new car dealer, would cost $101,335!

The competition created by the sale of parts produced by independent manufacturers has resulted in the price reduction of many OEM parts. The insurance industry advocates the use of certified competitive replacement parts as one of the steps to help control increasing auto insurance costs. The Alliance of American Insurers is working through various coalitions to encourage greater competition in the sale of aftermarket parts, and to encourage independent manufacturers to have their parts certified. Certification requires replacement parts to be "of like kind and quality" to Original Equipment Manufacturer parts, according to the Certified Automotive Parts Association. Only those parts which have passed rigid tests and have proved equal to or better than the OEM parts can receive the CAPA stamp of approval.