The crush of the metal. The beeping of the horns. You may not expect it or see it often, but car accidents do happen at Londonderry High School.
For me, I did not expect to ever get in an accident, but within the last two months, I’ve been in two car collisions. Neither were my fault, but both involved the other driver not looking where they were going while reversing. Fortunately, there was no damage to my vehicle in either incident. This is not the case for all accidents though, as you may not know the person and there might be damage. You may think that a car accident will never happen to you, but if it does, taking the following actions might help you after the accident occurs.
Stop! Don’t drive away!
- You need to stay at the scene until both cars have been assessed for damage by either yourselves, the police or a parent or guardian.
Call the police.
- If there are injuries and or a lot of damage, call the emergency number 911 immediately.
- If there are no injuries to either party, call the non-emergency number. The non-emergency is (603) 432-1118.
Get the other person’s license and registration
- In case there is any damage, having these documents is necessary to contact their insurance agency and the person themselves
Take pictures
- Taking photos of your car is necessary if you do have to contact their insurance agency.
Call a parent/guardian
- Having someone there with you will not only calm your nerves, but someone else could help evaluate the damage if they have also been in accidents. It also helps to call them and they’ll talk you through it and what you need to look for to assess the damage.
When you’re driving, you can control what you’re doing, but not what others do. Try to focus on what you can do to make sure you’re safe, instead of what others are doing.
For more information on distracted driving, follow this link to a story published in the April 2018 edition of the Lancer Spirit on the fatalities of distracted driving and how to avoid an accident. Turn to pages 26-29 for the full story.
