They seem to have been around for ever - the accident forms you can take on a visit abroad and in the event of an accident involving you and another vehicle, you fill out all the details on the spot and get the other driver (who probably is a non-English speaker) to sign. Has anyone actually done this? Or am I just a born sceptic?
Oz (as was)
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Are these forms in English or the language of the country you are visting?
If a german and I collided, there's no way I'd sign a form written in german or any other language I couldn't read. Be very careful what you sign, just remember what happened to Wycliffe!
Regards
Jonathan
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i've never heard of such forms in the UK which are meant to travel abroaD, but perhaps they exist.
All i know is that in most European countries you normally fill out a form with the other party involved in the accident. In France, where i live both parties have to fill inb the form (which is always in French, never English) and then you send it off to the insureres. If you disagree, you each put down your own version of events. 8 times out of 10 the insurers split 50/50 unless you have witnesses. The above form must be carried by all French drivers, it is given by the insurance company. If anyone is injured at all becasue of the accident then the police must be called immediately, this gets more complicated - don't ask me what you do if this happens to you!
Any party who wants to make a claim in France has 6 months to do so, after this it expires. Moreover, if a foriegn person has an accident in France and cannot speak French, depending on the details/seriousness of the accident and the other party involved, it would probably be best to go to a local police station anyway. Once you sign ob the line you have agreed to whatever is written there and that you understand it in full, even if you do not!!!!! This can be very risky indeed!!!
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A cautionary note or two;
If you are driving in South America and you have an accident in which someone is injured, you will be arrested and placed in jail until they decide who is at fault.
Even if you are stopped at a set of lights and a motorbike slams into the back of you, if he was injured, you would still be arrested and jailed.
In Brazil, its pretty much the French system except you should always insist on the police, injury or not. If the police do not attend, then you should report the accident at a police station or the insurance companies will ignore you. However, there are always risks deaing with the authorities in Brazil, and the majority of people will run a mile if you try and involve the Policia.
In all countries other than Chile be careful that an accident is not an excuse to mug you.
In Chile you *must* report all accidents to a police station and make a full statement. Do remember to return to make a closing statement before you leave the country.
Argentina & Venezuela are a combination of the two.
And finally, if you are in Brazil, if there is a police road block then you must switch off your headlights and proceed with side lights only, switch on the internal light and drive at no more than 20kph. If you are not sure whether or not the Police want you to stop, then be safe and stop anyway. Failure to follow the above is quite likely to get you shot. And in Brazil they never shoot anybody only once. Road blocks are *very* common.
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Oz
My insurance company stopped issuing these a few years ago, although I still have a fair-sized collection. They're called "European accident statement" forms and IIRC the insurers' instruction was to sign only if necessary to get you out of a tight spot, and to endorse your signature to the effect that it didn't indicate agreement to what was recorded therein because you couldn't understand it.
I guess they stopped issuing them because they stopped issuing green cards, so they have no way of knowing when I'm going abroad any more!
Terry
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