What to do in case of an accident

What to do in case of an accident?

You, those who learn from Școala Rutieră, at some point will become beginner drivers and the possibility of being involved in traffic accidents is quite high. Whether they are minor or serious accidents, it is good to know the following things before setting off for the first time.

Accident with casualties.

In the event that the accident in which you were involved was one that resulted in the death or bodily integrity injury or the health impairment of a person, you must not change the position of the vehicle or delete the traces of the accident until the arrival of the police crew, which will be notified immediately by calling the national single emergency number 112.


Do not leave the scene of the accident!

Leaving the scene of the accident without the approval of the police or the prosecutor who carries out the investigation of the scene of the act, as well as changing or deleting the traces of the accident by the driver of any vehicle engaged in such a traffic accident constitutes an offence and is punished according to the legal provisions (art.81 of O.U.G. no. 195/2002) with imprisonment from 2 to 7 years.

Accident without casualties.

In the event that the accident in which you were involved resulted only in material damages, you must immediately take the vehicles out of the carriageway or, if the condition of the vehicles does not allow this, move them as close as possible to the curb or shoulder, signalling their presence.

After removing the vehicles from the carriageway you have two options you can use.

Option 1:

The drivers of the vehicles involved in the accident must go together to the Police station in whose area the accident took place within a maximum of 24 hours from the occurrence of the event for the preparation of the finding documents.

Once at the Police, they will draw up an official report, liability will be established and the repair authorization for the vehicle will be issued. The driver found at fault will give a copy of his RCA policy to the other driver.

Option 2:

An amicable report (AR) can be used, in which the two drivers complete a single amicable report form and each keeps one of the 2 self-copy sheets. Both the copy and the original have the same legal value.

The amicable report can be used only when the two drivers agree to use this form and no deceased or bodily injured persons resulted from the accident. Only two vehicles were involved and no other vehicles, buildings or goods were damaged.

Filling in the form does not represent an admission of guilt, this will be established later by the insurance companies. The insurance company is obliged to solve the case based on the form and can no longer send you to the Police.

It is advisable that the other driver involved in the accident shows you the identification documents (identity card, the vehicle registration certificate, driving licence and RCA policy). Thus avoiding the situation in which the identification data are written incorrectly or even other data are intentionally provided.

In the event that you have compensation claims you must submit the form to the insurance company of the other driver and if you have no such claims you must submit it to your insurance company. In either case you must appear in person at the insurer where you will submit the AR form and complete a standard declaration. After this the insurer will issue you the repair authorization document, will establish liability and will grant compensation (as applicable). The forms must be submitted to the insurance company within a maximum of 24 hours from the occurrence of the accident.

You can choose yourself the service where you will repair your car. The insurance company cannot impose a service on you, it can only recommend one, to reduce the time in which you will recover your car after repairs, no longer needing to wait for the insurer to make the payment to the service. If you want to pay for the repair of the car yourself, you can go with the documents that prove the payment to the insurer to recover your money.

The documents you need at the insurer:

• the amicable report form completed by both drivers involved in the accident or the official report issued by the Police
• the driving licence
• the identity document
• the vehicle registration certificate
• the vehicle identity card
• the notarial authorization from the owner who is a natural person, if the vehicle does not belong to you or authorization from the owner who is a legal person.

Some questions that may appear at the official DRPCIV exam and that are related to the topic of the above article “What to do in case of an accident”:

What measures does the driver of a motor vehicle take, engaged in an accident with minor damages?

A. waits for the arrival of the police officer in the area;
B. taking the motor vehicle out of the carriageway and notifying the police within 24 hours;
C. notifies the police, without changing the position of the motor vehicle.

DRPCIV video explanation here!

In the event of involvement in an accident, can you leave the scene without the approval of the police, if the bodily integrity of a person was injured?

A. yes, if the accident was not your fault;
B. yes, if your car was not damaged;
C. no.

DRPCIV video explanation here!

Can you change the position of the motor vehicle, if it was involved in an accident that resulted in the death or bodily integrity injury or the health impairment of persons?

A. yes, with the approval of the police, who investigate the accident;
B. yes, if the injured person can move alone;
C. no, until the ambulance arrives.

DRPCIV video explanation here!