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What to do after the accident has happened and you’ve left the accident scene. 

<h2>1 Report the accident online</h2><p>Click on the relevant state below to report your accident online. This is not always mandatory but can be helpful for insurance claims.</p><p><a href="https://www.service.nsw.gov.au/transaction/report-a-traffic-crash-with-nsw-police" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">New South Wales</a> | <a href="https://police.vic.gov.au/traffic-accident-reports" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Victoria</a> | <a href="https://www.police.qld.gov.au/policelink-reporting/traffic-crash-launch" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Queensland</a> | <a href="https://sapolice.sa.gov.au/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">South Australia</a> | <a href="https://reportacrash.police.tas.gov.au/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Tasmania</a> | <a href="https://www.wa.gov.au/service/security/law-enforcement/report-traffic-crash" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Western Australia</a> | <a href="https://pfes.nt.gov.au/form/report-online" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Northern Territory</a></p><p>If the accident wasn’t your fault, follow up with the other driver for their claim number and if it was your fault, contact the other driver to provide your claim number.</p><h2>2 Decide how to claim – depending on who caused the accident</h2><p>Here are your options</p><p>If the accident wasn’t your fault and you have comprehensive cover:</p><p>Claim through your own insurer. Even if the other driver is completely at fault and their insurer may cover the repairs, lodging a claim with your insurer means they liaise with the other insurer on your behalf. Your insurer chases recovery from the at-fault party afterward. This is almost always the easiest path.</p><p>If the accident wasn’t your fault and you have third-party property insurance or no cover:</p><p>You need to deal with the driver who caused the accident (at-fault driver) or their insurer directly. Ask for the contact details of their insurer and the claim number. You cannot 'claim' on the other driver's insurance directly — their insurer has no contract with you. The insurer stands in their customer's place. They may offer to assess your vehicle, repair your vehicle, or offer you a hire car. Click here for more detail. <a href="https://financialrights.org.au/factsheet/car-accident-when-uninsured/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Financial Rights Legal Centre</a></p><p>If you caused the accident and have comprehensive cover:</p><p>Claim on your own policy. You'll pay the excess and likely lose your no-claim bonus.</p><p>If you caused the accident and have third-party property only:</p><p>Your insurer covers the other driver's damage. Yours isn't covered.</p><p>Notify your insurer (within 24–48 hours)</p><p>Prepare info for insurer: your policy number, the date/time/location, a description of what happened, the other driver's details (name, phone, address, rego, licence number, their insurer if known), and any photos or witness contacts.</p><p>Call your insurer's claims line or lodge online via their app/portal. (Most insurers have claims teams available 24/7.) The insurer will assign a claim number — write it down. This is your reference for everything that follows.</p><p>Most policies require ‘prompt’ notification even if you don't intend to claim — so do this regardless of fault. Once you've made a claim, your provider has 10 business days to respond per the General Insurance Code of Practice.</p><h2>4 Pay Excess</h2><p>Most claims require you to pay an excess upfront before repairs start (commonly $600–$1,500, depending on policy and driver age).</p><p>If the accident is completely the fault of another driver and you can provide their full name and details, many insurers waive the excess. Otherwise, you pay it now and your insurer refunds it later if/when they recover costs from the at-fault driver.</p><p>The claim usually won’t proceed until you’ve paid your excess, or the insurer has confirmed that they’ve waived the excess payment.</p><h2>5 Vehicle assessment</h2><p>Your insurer will either:</p><p>Ask you to upload photos for a desktop assessment (common for minor damage), or<br>Send an assessor to inspect the car in person, or<br>Direct you to take the car to an approved repairer who does the assessment on site.</p><p>Assessments can take 3–14 days to complete.</p><h2>6 Repair or write-off decision</h2><p>The assessor decides whether to repair or write off the vehicle. If the cost of repairs is more than the cost of replacing your car, then your car will be considered a write-off.</p><p>If repairable: Your insurer will confirm which repairer and when to book in. Most bumper-to-bumper repairs wrap up in two to six weeks. Delays creep in when parts are on back-order, multiple drivers disagree on fault.</p><p>If written off: The insurer offers a settlement based on the car's "agreed value" (if your policy is agreed value) or "market value" (which they assess from sources like Redbook). You can negotiate this — get your own valuation from Redbook, similar listings, or a motoring organisation report if you think their offer is low.</p><p>Once you accept the valuation, insurers usually EFT the settlement inside five to ten business days; finance payouts happen simultaneously.</p><h2>7 Accident Replacement Car</h2><p>Book a hire car while your car is off the road with repairs or until your settlement for write-off is received.</p><p>If the driver who caused the accident is insured, contact Right2Drive to apply for an accident replacement vehicle while your vehicle is off the road, at no cost to you.</p><p>This is a legal entitlement that many people aren’t aware of and you’ll be provided with a similar vehicle to yours – suitable to your needs. The cost will be covered by the insurer of the driver who caused the accident once the hire is completed.</p><p>If you caused the accident or the driver who caused it isn’t insured, arrange your own car hire, which you’ll need to pay for. <a href="https://www.eastcoastcarrentals.com.au/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">East Coast has some great deals.</a></p><h2>8 Recovery against the at-fault driver</h2><p>If you claimed on your own comprehensive policy and weren't at fault, your insurer handles this in the background — you don't need to chase the other driver. It can take months and doesn't affect your claim outcome.</p><p>If you didn't claim on your insurance and need to recover from the at-fault driver yourself, send a letter of demand with your repair invoices/quotes. If they don't pay, you can negotiate or take them to the Local Court — you have 6 years from the date of the accident.</p><h2>9 Track the claim</h2><p>If your claim is in the process of being assessed and you request an update, your provider is required to respond within 10 business days. Your provider is also required to update you on the status of your claim every 20 business days, until a decision is made.</p><p>Keep a folder (digital is fine) with: claim number, photos, all emails, quotes, invoices, receipts for related expenses (tow, hire car, etc.), and notes from every phone call (date, time, who you spoke to, what was agreed).</p><h2>Typical end-to-end timelines</h2><div class="__editor_html"><table style="width: 100%; max-width: 900px; border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.4;"> 

  <thead> 

    <tr> 

      <th style="border: 1px solid #ddd; padding: 8px; text-align: left;"> 

        Claim Type 

      </th> 

      <th style="border: 1px solid #ddd; padding: 8px; text-align: left;"> 

        Duration 

      </th> 

    </tr> 

  </thead> 

  <tbody> 

    <tr> 

      <td style="border: 1px solid #ddd; padding: 8px;"> 

        Straightforward repair claim, clear liability 

      </td> 

      <td style="border: 1px solid #ddd; padding: 8px;"> 

        2–6 weeks total 

      </td> 

    </tr> 

    <tr> 

      <td style="border: 1px solid #ddd; padding: 8px;"> 

        Write-off, clear liability 

      </td> 

      <td style="border: 1px solid #ddd; padding: 8px;"> 

        2–4 weeks to settlement payment 

      </td> 

    </tr> 

    <tr> 

      <td style="border: 1px solid #ddd; padding: 8px;"> 

        Disputed liability or complex circumstances 

      </td> 

      <td style="border: 1px solid #ddd; padding: 8px;"> 

        2–4 months 

      </td> 

    </tr> 

    <tr> 

      <td style="border: 1px solid #ddd; padding: 8px;"> 

        General Insurance Code outer limit 

      </td> 

      <td style="border: 1px solid #ddd; padding: 8px;"> 

        The General Insurance Code of Practice allows insurers up to four months — or 12 months for particularly complex cases — just to reach a decision. 

      </td> 

    </tr> 

  </tbody> 

</table> 
</div><h2>If things go wrong</h2><p>Request an internal review from the insurer first (free, in writing). If that doesn't resolve it, escalate to AFCA (Australian Financial Complaints Authority) — free, binding on the insurer, and effective. AFCA handles disputes of up to $1.085 million in claim value.</p><h2>Personal Injury</h2><p>If anyone was injured, the CTP / "green slip" claim runs in parallel and is handled by the State Insurance Regulatory Authority (SIRA) with different timelines and rules are different to property insurance). Search this in your relevant state.</p><p>You can download our full guide here: <a href="https://cloud.squidex.io/api/assets/right2drive/0d0eae53-5d61-45a3-87ac-93082464aac2/r2d093-post-accident-guide-au-v1.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">R2D093 Post Accident Guide AU_v1.pdf</a></p>

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