No driver wants to realize that they’ve hit another vehicle. A collision can be costly, even more costly if you don’t have enough insurance coverage. While many drivers add underinsured motorist coverage to their insurance policies, they’re still going to want to see what your insurance company is going to do before their policy will do anything. That’s the name of the game here.

There are a few things that you will definitely want to do if you hit another car, or if another car hits you.

First and foremost, you do not want to run off — even if you think that no one has seen you hit the other vehicle. This is often the case when drivers hit a car that is parked and they try to drive off. You’re a lot better off admitting that you hit the car and taking whatever comes than running off. For starters, getting caught means that you just committed a hit and run. That can carry stiff fines and penalties, plus it’s a black mark on your insurance file. Once you do it, it definitely sends your insurance premiums sky high. It’s a lot smarter in the long run to actually just admit to the problem. And really, if it’s only a small bump, you’d be surprised at how many times the other driver will just wave you off. They know what it’s like to scrape a door or hit a bumper slightly. Minor damage isn’t really worth the insurance claim.

So the next part here is that you want to leave as much information as you need. Your name, phone number, and policy number as well as insurance carrier is a good start. If there needs to be a police report filed, see that it is indeed filed. This is another thing that you don’t want to skip over. If it’s a major accident, there needs to be a police report. This is one of the first things that the insurance company is going to ask you about, so you need to make sure that you have it.

Another thing that you will need to make sure that you don’t do is admit fault. You will not know whether or not that you’re at fault. Even when it seems like you’re at fault, you might not be. However, if you admit fault then naturally you’re going to take the fall for it. Let the police and the insurance companies make that designation. This mistake has cost drivers a lot of money over the years, so we’re especially cautious about it.

Keep in mind that if you only purchased liability insurance, then you’re going to basically be paying for someone else’s car, but not yours. The only way to actually cover your own car in case of an accident is to get what most people refer to as full coverage. This will be a combination of what you get with liability, but also adding in comprehensive as well as collision coverage. That’s the best way to go if you really want to make sure that you’re taken care of from every angle.

Hitting a car is something that just about every driver has done. It’s costly for all parties involved. That’s why if you can drive defensively and avoid it, you’re going to have much better insurance rates than someone that has been in several accidents. It’s all about risk management after all.

Can you really avoid accidents? Sometimes you can’t. All you can do is just do your best to avoid them by staying alert, staying aware, and staying prepared. Maintaining your car properly and ensuring that everything is working properly is a great way to also keep accidents from happening.

Now is the perfect time to put these defensive driver tips into action, to cut your chances of getting into a costly and dangerous accident!