Driving safely does not guarantee completely avoiding traffic accidents. A small mistake can result in a rear-end collision or a collision when taking a roundabout. In these situations, it is essential to verify that there are no serious injuries and, if there are, call the authorities and medical services immediately.
If there is only minor material damage and there is an agreement between the parties involved, the accident report, also known as the Friendly Accident Declaration (DAA), must be completed to inform the insurance companies and manage the expenses derived from the incident. However, what do you do when you discover a dent in your car with no one responsible in sight? The Civil Guard recently spoke about this situation.
Through its X account, formerly Twitter, the Civil Guard recovered the image of a friendly report left by a man named Paco for the car he “accidentally hit.” “Hello, my name is Paco. I accidentally hit your car and someone saw me. So I pretend to write down my details and leave them on the windshield. I’m sorry,” read the message that Paco left written down on a friendly part sheet!
That is why the Civil Guard asked citizens in their publication to do “things right” and to give their part to the insurance. “Don’t be ‘Paco’ to me!” the text ended.
The Reial Automòbil Club de Catalunya (RACC) offers some useful guidelines for dealing with this situation. If it is not possible to identify the culprit and there is no specific insurance coverage, the vehicle owner must be responsible for the repair. However, there is a possibility that the place where the vehicle was parked is covered by private insurance.
For example, in the case of parking in a parking lot integrated into a neighborhood community, the property insurance should cover the damage caused. If faced with refusals from the insurance to repair the damage, the user has the right to resort to judicial means to enforce their rights, as indicated by the RACC.
The Civil Guard published a video on its social networks detailing how to fill out a friendly accident report. “If we suffer a traffic accident and we are satisfied with the responsibility, we can make a friendly report,” the agent began explaining.
According to the instructions of the authorities, the first thing we should do in the event of an accident is to move away from the scene and make sure we are in a safe place. Once there, we will proceed to complete the friendly report, detailing the date, place and time of the incident, as well as any witnesses present and the details of the drivers involved.
In the middle section of the form, we will specify the possible causes of the accident. At the bottom, we will describe the damage suffered by the vehicles and provide a small sketch in the designated space, illustrating the dynamics of the event. Finally, as recommended by the Civil Guard, we will sign the report and send it to our insurance company.
