If you are involved in a road-traffic accident as a driver and one or more of the following occurs:

• a person, other than yourself, is injured
• damage is caused to another vehicle or to someone else’s property – including street lamps, signs, bollards etc.
• an animal has been killed or injured, except in your own vehicle or trailer

Then you must:

• stop and remain at the scene for a reasonable period
• give your vehicle registration number, your name and address, and that of the vehicle owner (if different) to anyone with reasonable grounds for asking for those details

If you don’t exchange those details at the scene, you must report the accident at a police station or to a police officer as soon as you can, and in any case within 24 hours.

If another person is injured you must:

• produce your certificate of insurance, if anyone at the scene has reasonable grounds to see it.
• if you do not, you must report the accident at a police station or to a constable as soon as you can and in any case within 24 hours. You’ll need to produce your certificate of insurance but if you don’t have it when reporting the accident to the police, you may take it, within seven days of the accident, to the police station you nominate when you report the incident.

Reporting the accident to the police by telephone is not sufficient and you cannot ask someone else to report for you.

You’re obliged to do these things not only when you are directly involved in an accident, but also if your vehicle’s ‘presence’ was a factor.