Just got rear-ended? Here’s what you need to do

Imagine your car comes to a stop at a traffic light. And then, suddenly, you hear a loud bang from behind, and at the same time, you are thrown forward but thank God, you have your seatbelt fastened.

It turns out that your car has been rear-ended by another car. What should you do in this situation? Here are some tips that you may find useful.

• First and foremost, do not panic and stay calm. Take a breath and check if you or your passengers have sustained any injuries.
• Drive your car to the roadside to avoid traffic congestion. Make sure it is safe to stop.
• If the car that hit you also pulls over to the side of the road, take out your smartphone and get out from your car.

• Do not carry any objects that could be considered as weapons because you could be accused of attempting to attack and cause harm to others and public property.
• Take photos of the registration number and road tax of the car that hit you earlier.
• If the driver of that car gets out of their vehicle, avoid any provocation or using harsh words that could lead to an argument.

• Ask for the driver’s permission to see and take photos of their identification card or driver’s license. Also, get contact details such as a phone number or email address.
• If the driver does not admit fault, do not force them to do so or ask for any payments from them.
• Inform them that in most cases, the driver of the car that hits someone from behind is to blame in a rear-end collision.
• If they admit fault, ask them to cover the cost of repairing your car. But do not ask for money from them. Invite them to the workshop to assess the damage to your car.

• If they insist on not admitting fault and not wanting to cover the cost of repairing your car, go to the police station to make a report.
• Take the report to any Road Transport Department (JPJ) branch to perform a vehicle search to find out the insurance company of the car that hit you.
• Go to the insurance company’s panel workshop and ask them to make a third-party claim to repair the damage to your car.