What to Do in an Accident

        Perhaps sweet old Grandma Gladys forgot her glasses and bumped into the back of one of your recently purchased used cars in Woodbridge, Va. Perhaps it was angry Ashley that was on her phone and slammed into you going 45 mph but is blaming you for sitting at a green light. Either way, our accident checklist will help you in any type of casualty. Despite if you are in an accident with someone you feel you trust or not, you should always collect insurance information, a witness, and photo evidence to protect yourself.

        You are driving your recently purchased Toyota Camry from the Buy Here Pay Here lot at Airport Auto Sales when the car jolts forward with force. Your head gets thrown forward but besides a little whiplash, you feel okay. The first step is to assess your injuries and whether or not you can move your vehicle. If you are able to move your car off the road you should so that traffic does not threaten to hit you a second time. Many pile up accidents start out from the original accident not moving off the road. Once you are to the side of the road you should assess the other driver and their passenger’s injuries. If you have any doubt about any injuries you should call an ambulance.

        If the driver that hit your new car from a Buy Here Pay Here lot was Grandma Gladys and she says she feels ok after tapping your bumper at a whole 10 mph, you should still see if you can get someone to be a witness. She’s so old and sweet and shows you all of the pictures she has of her 18 grandkids that you don’t feel you need to call the police or collect her insurance info (she says she just wants to pay you cash). You don’t need to call the police for every accident but you should always have a witness just in case sweet Grandma Gladys tries to get your insurance to cover a dent her grandkids made in the hood of her Taurus after you both go home. You should always collect insurance information. Even if you want to handle the accident outside of insurance, in the event that Gladys doesn’t give you the money for the damage, you can always file a claim later. Make sure to always collect insurance information, contact information, license information, the location and time of the accident, the car’s license plate number, the vehicle year, make, and model. If you are able to get a witness, make sure to collect their contact information as well.

        If the driver that hit one of your recently purchased used cars in Woodbridge, Va was angry Ashley and she jumps out of her car screaming at you, you might want to consider calling the non-emergency police line. Especially if after vivaciously yelling at you angry Ashley starts complaining about neck pain. Again, if she allows you to get an ambulance you should to assess her injuries. If she refuses an ambulance you should definitely call the police to file an official report. Collect the officer’s name and badge number for the claim. At any time during any claim if you feel uncomfortable the police should be called. Getting ahead of angry claimants or fraud is the best way to handle the claim. 

        The most important things to remember in an accident are to collect insurance, get a witness or police report filed, and collect photo evidence. Taking a few photos can be helpful to the claim to assess who is at fault and what damage was done at the time of the accident. They can also provide you with the vehicle information you will need. Above all other concerns though, remain calm and do not admit fault. If you admit fault at the scene and later the insurance companies find it to be Glady’s or Ashley’s fault, you will have waived your right to fight the claim. Letting the insurance company handle the claim is the best way to protect recently purchased used cars in Woodbridge, Va. It is also best to notify your lien holder at a Buy Here Pay Here lot, dealership, or bank in case the vehicle ends up being totalled. Accidents can be scary but remaining calm and collecting information will make the whole process smoother.

        Your mother always told you not to buy that flashy, red sports car. “It will be a ticket magnet,” she says with a stern look of disapproval. Well you can finally tell your mother that as long as there are a few other vehicles on the road, you won’t be the biggest magnet! An insurance research study shows that red is actually the second most pulled over color with white being the most. Just as surprisingly, sedans are the most ticketed vehicles on the road. When looking at our used cars in Woodbridge, Va and on our Buy Here Pay Here lot there are some vehicles that will let you fly under the radar while others will have a bullseye. 

        While vehicle make, model, and color alone will not save you or break you from moving violations, there are some that are more prone than others to be noticed. Among the used cars in Woodbridge, Va the most likely to be pulled over is the Lexus ES 300. This is by far one of Lexus’ more conservative cars. The far sportier Lexus IS 350 actually lands among one of the least pulled over vehicles suggesting that the driver might have more to do with the violation than the car did. We fully expected that the Honda Civic would land as one of the more pulled over cars from our Buy Here Pay Here lot because of how common they are and the bright colors they often come in. We were surprised to find out that only 11.9% of Civic drivers were pulled over in a year as opposed to 30.1% of Toyota Tacoma drivers.

        Many of the most likely to be pulled over vehicles on our Buy Here Pay Here lot were our best family vehicles. Perhaps Soccer Mom Sandy always gets the kids to practice because she drives like a racecar driver. Our top most likely to be pulled over vehicles were the Toyota Tacoma at 30.1%, the Mazda Tribute at 29.9%, Chevrolet Malibu 2LT at 29.4%, the Ford Fusion at 29%, the Chevrolet Tahoe at at 28.6%, and Mercury Mariner at 26.2%. These family sized SUVs, trucks, and mid-sized sedans are possibly pulled over more frequently because the owners are day-to-day hustle and bustle middle class families who have tight schedules and tired parents.

        If you are a driver with some activity and looking to avoid being  pulled over, these are some used cars in Rchmond, Va that statistically attract less attention: The Honda Odyssey EX at 14.9%, the Ford Taurus SEL at 14.7%, the Honda CR-V at 12.6%, and the Honda Civic at 11.9%. Since many of these vehicles are in the same class as their more pulled over counterparts, the statistics frustratingly suggest that the best defense is to just drive safely. For some of us lead foots this is discerning. However, at least you can tell your mother that as long as you drive cautiously, you can have that red sporty car!