Reporting Car Accident

[marhsava]

Okay so I know you have 24 hours to report a Accident but what happens if you don't report it within 24 hours?

Also do you have to report it at the nearest police station where the accident happened ?

 

[Ecko_1]

I seem to recall that there are some exceptions to the 24 hour rule. I can't remember them though. I've always used the closest police station to where the accident happened, as this is where the on scene police are usually from.

 

[ToxicBunny]

Okay so I know you have 24 hours to report a Accident but what happens if you don't report it within 24 hours?

Also do you have to report it at the nearest police station where the accident happened ?

Theoretically nothing happens.... I've reported an accident 3 days later and the cops happily filled out the form and gave me an AR number

and no you don't need to report it at the nearest police station...

 

[Former member 61586]

Okay so I know you have 24 hours to report a Accident but what happens if you don't report it within 24 hours?

Also do you have to report it at the nearest police station where the accident happened ?

Technically I think you are breaking the law if not reported within 24 hours. Unless people were seriously injured or died however, I doubt there will be any real repurcussions besides and insurance rejection though if not reported within 24 hours.

With regard to reporting to the closest police station, that is not a necessity. It is however a requirement if you want the case number immediately. Otherwise the police station you are reporting at, will first send the file/docket to the police station with jurisdiction over the area where the accident happened and then they will send you the case number in a 2-6 week period.

 

[Hemi300c]

As long as no one is injured it should be ok. Hopefully you have a decent insurer.

 

[Former member 61586]

The driver of a vehicle at the time when such vehicle is involved in or contributes to any accident in which any person is killed or injured or suffers damage in respect of any property, including a vehicle, or animal shall if he or she has not already reported the accident to a police or traffic officer at the scene of the accident, and unless he or she is incapable of doing so by reason of injuries sustained by him or her in the accident, as soon as is reasonably practicable, and in the case where a person is killed or injured, within 24 hours after the occurrence of such accident, or in any other case on the first working day after the occurrence of such accident.

From here

 

[SauRoNZA]

As far as I know the 24h rule only really applies if someone was injured.

But even in those cases I've been involved in where the cop who was attending the incident simply provided me with the case number after the fact and I never even needed to go to a police station.

My wife having had a bumper bash with only an absent third party involved went to the cop shop a solid week after the event and never had an issue.

 

[Venomous]

Technically I think you are breaking the law if not reported within 24 hours. Unless people were seriously injured or died however, I doubt there will be any real repurcussions besides and insurance rejection though if not reported within 24 hours.

With regard to reporting to the closest police station, that is not a necessity. It is however a requirement if you want the case number immediately. Otherwise the police station you are reporting at, will first send the file/docket to the police station with jurisdiction over the area where the accident happened and then they will send you the case number in a 2-6 week period.

Lol,

The 24hrs is really the insurer.

I got schit for my claim in 2012 coz I did not report it for 4 days.
While I was not kept in hospital my sternum was cracked. Hectic pain meds kept the pain at bay some of the time. At that stage I did not have a car and the nearest police station was nearly 8km away, so no ways was I gonna walk it in that state.

Insurance knew the night of the accident, so when I got to the police 4 days later, when someone could take me and breathing didn't burn like a mother trucker.
Cops asked me who my insurer was. They then said "good luck getting the claim solved".

When I finally got the case number the claims agent started about 24hrs so I simply explained my medical condition and promised that I can find the insurance ombudsman's number, they decided to continue the claim.

Needless to say I've had different insurers after getting another car.
At that time they wanted to charge me more for the new(used) vehicle than Santam were prepared to charge me for the new vehicle, another small vehicle and household together. I even offered the old crowd a chance to match it and they would not. But when I cancelled I got called suddenly they could match it. I walked away and signed up with Santam. And yes, I told Santam about the then recent claim.