Had an accident on the A127 or A13? What to do next

Get off the road, or away from it

Put your hazard lights on straight away.

If nobody is hurt and both cars can be driven, move them out of the traffic: into a layby, a slip road, a side road or a forecourt. Sitting in a live lane on the A127 to keep the cars where they ended up isn't worth the risk. Take a couple of quick photos first if you can do it safely, then move. If someone is injured, leave the cars where they are and let the emergency services take charge.

If your car can't be moved, get everyone out on the side away from the traffic and stand well back, behind a barrier if there is one. Don't stand between the cars or behind yours.

Call 999 if anyone is hurt, if a car is stuck in a lane or debris is blocking the road, or if the other driver is aggressive or seems to have been drinking.

What details should you swap after an accident on the A127?

The law expects you to swap names, addresses, vehicle registrations and insurance details. On your phone, or on paper, get:

• the other driver's name, address and phone number
• the owner's name and address too, if it's a company car or someone else's
• their registration, make, model and colour
• their insurer's name and, if they have it, the policy number
• where it happened, as precisely as you can: which road, eastbound or westbound, and the nearest junction, bridge or landmark
• the time, the weather and the state of the road
• names and phone numbers of witnesses. People who stop to help often drive off once things look under control, so ask early

Photograph both cars from each corner, the damage close up, the other car's number plate, and anything on the road such as debris or skid marks. Save any dashcam footage before the camera loops over it.

Be civil, but don't argue about who caused it and don't sign anything at the roadside. Leave liability to the insurers. If the other driver leaves without giving their details, report it to the police as soon as you can, and within 24 hours at the latest. Our guide on being hit by an uninsured or hit-and-run driver covers what happens next.

Can you drive it, or does it need recovering?

Check before you set off. All the lights should work, nothing should be leaking, no warning lights for the brakes, steering or airbags should be on, the steering should feel normal and no panel or wheel arch should be touching a tyre. If you're in any doubt, don't drive it.

If it needs recovering, there are a few ways it can happen:

• If the police attend and the car is blocking the road, they may call a recovery operator to clear it, and it may go to that operator's yard.
• Your motor insurer may have an accident recovery line. Check your policy documents.
• Breakdown cover doesn't always include recovery after an accident, so check before you rely on it.
• We offer recovery too. Ring us on 01268 590 722 and we'll bring the car to our Basildon workshop.

Recovery yards charge for storage for as long as the car sits there, so get it moved to the repairer quickly.

Getting your car to our Basildon site

We've been based in Basildon since 2002, and our current workshop is at Newbridge House, Swinbourne Road, Basildon SS13 1EF, on the Burnt Mills Industrial Estate. The estate is off Courtauld Road in north-east Basildon, close to the A132 (East Mayne and Nevendon Road) and the A127.

From the A127 in either direction, come off at the A132 and follow it to Courtauld Road. From the A13 side, Pitsea is about 3 miles away, and Basildon town centre is about the same.

If you live locally, our pages on car body repairs in Wickford, car body repairs for Billericay drivers and car body repair in Rayleigh have more on those routes. Full details for the site are on our Basildon accident repair centre page.

If the accident wasn't your fault

Ring us on 01268 590 722 before you ring your insurer. Your policy will probably still require you to tell them an accident happened, and you should, but telling them isn't the same as making a claim on your policy.

On a non-fault accident claim, we manage the claim and recover the costs from the at-fault driver's insurer. You get a replacement vehicle similar to yours while yours is repaired, at no cost to you, and there's no excess to pay. Your no claims bonus isn't touched. An independent insurance engineer inspects the car and agrees the repair costs, or gives a fair written valuation if it isn't economical to repair.

If it was your fault, or blame isn't clear yet

Call us anyway. We'll work with your insurer: we give them an estimate and get it approved. You can choose where your car is repaired, but some policies add an extra excess, cap what they'll pay or withhold a courtesy car if you don't use their approved garage, so check yours and tell your insurer before work starts. If your insurer doesn't provide a courtesy car, we may be able to provide one from our own fleet. More on this is on our accident repairs page.

Our repairs carry a lifetime guarantee for as long as you own the car. Where the car is driveable and the damage looks light, a few photos through our online quote form are a good first step. Our Basildon Google reviews are there if you want to see what other customers thought.