Unfortunately, it's only a matter of time before you or someone in your family is involved in a "Fender Bender" or other accident.  In today's world of lawsuit happy, and somtimes dishonest people, it's more important than ever for you to take care of yourself if you have a wreck.  A few simple rules can help.

AVOID THE ACCIDENT BEFORE IT EVER HAPPENS

We all see those people every year who think they're Jeff Gordon at the Texas Motor Speedway or drive poorly on bad roads.  It is always better to drive DEFENSIVELY than to put a bad driver in a situation where they may hurt you, themselves, or someone else.  Assume that the other drivers are all nuts and their sole purpose in life is to hit you at every turn.

Studies indicate that it takes a vehicle three to nine times longer to stop on rainy or wet roads as compared to clear surfaces.

If You Are Involved In An Accident

·        Remain at the scene.  This is an area of argument for a lot of folks.  In case you are unaware, state law in Oklahoma requires that if you are involved in a non-injury accident, and your car will move, and there are no fluids spilled on the roadway, you and the other party must move your vehicles to a safe position out of the lanes of traffic.   That being said my thinking on this is simple.  I am going to leave my car right where it is in the roadway so that when the officer gets there they can see exactly what happened during the accident.  If the officer chooses to write me a ticket for not moving my car, that's fine.  I bet that the cost of the ticket will be much less than the cost of fixing the damage to my car after the other party lies to the police and claims that the accident was not their fault.

·        Call the police to report the accident.

·        Don't admit fault for the accident or discuss your insurance coverage or limits.  The other party does not need to know anything about your coverage other than that you have coverage.  Don't discuss the accident with anyone except the police and your insurance representative.

·        Exchange information with the other driver.  Provide your policy number and insurance company's phone number.

·        Make sure that you ask for their name, address, and driver's license number.  Also, if you can, get the names and phone numbers for any other drivers and witnesses.  Get the year, make, model, and license plate number of all vehicles involved.  Finally, get the insurance company or agent for all other drivers.

·         Make sure you're wearing your seatbelt.