Category: Accidents

answers to frequently asked questions from a towing professional

Customers often ask questions about what to do when you are in an accident or have a breakdown emergency and we get questions about basic car maintenance.

Make sure your car is safe and can pass the Virginia State Inspection at all times.
Keep your vehicle registration card, state inspection receipt, insurance card, and a list of emergency contacts stapled together in your glove box. If you are injured and cannot communicate with emergency responders, police will check the glove box for information so they can notify your family or friends.
The best rule is to follow the maintenance schedule in your vehicle owner’s manual. Other services are rarely needed. Keep your vehicle owner’s manual in the glove box so you can refer to it for maintenance information.

FAQ Categories

1/17/2020

Call the Police

Police should always be called so there is an official record of the accident. In some areas of the country, police will not respond to auto accidents. If an officer is sent, he or she will record the number of people involved in the incident and their identities so that others don’t later claim they were in the crash and injured. Exchanging names rather than calling police can result in another driver giving you false information. It is common for uninsured or unlicensed people to try to keep the police away. If another party is persistent about not calling police, there is probably a good reason why they do not want to talk to an officer and this should make it even more important for you to summon the police. Take pictures of the vehicles involved from all sides so there is documentation of the scene and the damage.

1/17/2020

What to Do If You Are In A Car Accident

Stop in a safe place near the accident but not in traffic.
Set out traffic flares if any vehicle cannot be removed and only if there are no flammable materials near the vehicles.
Check for injuries. Do not move injured people unless necessary to protect them from further serious injury.
Notify police. Give them the exact location, how many people are injured, and if traffic is blocked.
Never Stand in or near traffic or between vehicles. If someone drives into the crash scene, you or others can be seriously injured or killed.
If there is a car fire do not try to extinguish it. Unless you have received proper training, you can be harmed. You can be harmed by smoke or fumes, tires that overheat and explode, glass that blows out, shock-absorber bumpers, or other risks. Few car fires can be put out with a fire extinguisher and you can be seriously harmed trying to save a car that is probably already a total loss. Get everyone away from the burning vehicle and call the fire department.

1/17/2020

After An Accident

Virginia and most other states require you to park your vehicle as close to the scene as you can without creating a traffic hazard. Leaving your car in traffic can cause additional accidents.

1/17/2020

Equipping Your Car For Accidents

You should have at least three highway flares and a flashlight. Flares should be replaced about every four or five years. Make sure you know how to operate your vehicle’s 4-way flashers.

1/17/2020

If Your Car is Wrecked

In Virginia, the law allows you to use the body shop of your choice. No one (including an insurance company) can require your car to be fixed at a certain shop. If your car cannot be safely driven after an accident, call the tow company of your choice to take it to the shop of your choice. In some areas the police will not allow you a choice of tow services. Unless your car has been impounded, the tow company has no legal right to force you to take your car to its storage lot or shop. Most honest tow companies can collect their fees directly from legitimate body shops. If you pay for the tow service, make sure you receive a fully detailed receipt for the services rendered. A few tow companies add enormous extra fees to any car they take to their lot. If your car goes to the tow company’s storage lot, you should notify the insurance company immediately so it can take steps to reduce storage and other fees.

1/17/2020

Nitrogen in Tires

Tire manufacturers do not call for the use of nitrogen in automobile or light truck tires. Nitrogen will not harm your tires, but it won’t help them either. A sales point for nitrogen is that it is used in airplane tires and that sounds good until you remember that your car does not use airplane tires, it does not land at 150 mph, and it does not quickly descend from 30,000 feet where the temperature is 30º below zero to an airstrip where the temperature is 90º. The best thing you can do for your tires is to simply keep them properly inflated according to the tire label on the driver’s door or door frame of the car and make sure the alignment is correct.

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answers to frequently asked questions from a towing professional

FAQ Categories

Call the Police

What to Do If You Are In A Car Accident

After An Accident

Equipping Your Car For Accidents

If Your Car is Wrecked

Nitrogen in Tires

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