Handling a Collision | Steer Clear

[MUSIC]

(Image)
Animated illustration: car driving 
on road with ‘thought bubble’ above it

(Speaker: Male announcer)
Although you do your best to drive responsibly and 
safely, it's still smart to know what to do in case 
you have a collision. 

(Image)
Animated illustration: Two cars crashing appear 
in ‘thought bubble’ above 
car illustration driving down road

(Speaker: Male announcer)
Mentally walking through the appropriate steps 

(Image)
Animated illustration: Numbered list “1, 2, 3…” 
appears in ‘thought bubble’ 
above car illustration driving down road

(Speaker: Male announcer)
to take ahead of time will make you feel more empowered
should a crash occur. Crashes can be very scary but 
here are some tips if one happens to you. 

(Words on screen)
Safety First

(Speaker: Male announcer)
Safety first—

(Image)
Animated illustration: car rear-ending another 
car with steam coming from radiator

(Speaker: Male announcer)
first, try to take a deep breath 

(Words on screen)
Stay calm.

(Speaker: Male announcer)
and stay calm. 

(Image)
Animated illustration: cars in accident move from 
middle of road to side of road

(Speaker: Male announcer)
If the car accident is minor, move vehicles out of 
traffic to a safe place, 

(Image)
Animated illustration above cars: transmission 
panel with shift knob moving from D for drive 
to P for park

(Speaker: Male announcer)
shift into park, 

(Image)
Animated illustration above cars: key turns, 
then disappears

(Speaker: Male announcer)
turn off your vehicle 

(Image)
Animated illustration: hazard lights on cars 
from crash start blinking

(Speaker: Male announcer)
and turn on the hazard lights. 

(Image)
Animated illustration: cones appear next 
to cars in crash

(Speaker: Male announcer)
Use cones, 

(Image)
Animated illustration: warning triangles appear 
next to cars in crash

(Speaker: Male announcer)
warning triangles, 

(Image)
Animated illustration: flares appear next to 
cars in crash

(Speaker: Male announcer)
or flares for added safety if you have them. 

(Words on screen)
Get Help

(Speaker: Male announcer)
Get help. 

(Words on screen)
Check for injuries.

(Speaker: Male announcer)
Check for injuries. 

(Image)
Animated illustration changes to side view of 
car crash on side of road, ambulance pulls up
behind them with siren on

(Speaker: Male announcer)
Call an ambulance when in doubt. 

(Image)
Animated illustration: Ambulance drives off screen, 
police car with siren on pulls up behind cars in crash

(Speaker: Male announcer)
Call the police even if the accident is minor. 

(Image)
Animated illustration: “Accident report” box draws 
on screen above cars

(Speaker: Male announcer)
A police report can be invaluable to the claim process
and help establish who's at fault. 

(Words on screen)
Collect Information

(Speaker: Male announcer)
Collect information. 

(Words on screen)
Gather information.

(Image)
Animated illustration changes to view from front of 
cars in accident, notebook and pencil appear next 
to them

(Speaker: Male announcer)
Gather information from others involved in the 
accident, 

(Image)
Animated illustration: driver in front car is 
highlighted, the word “Names” appears on 
the notebook next to car

(Speaker: Male announcer)
drivers and passengers, names and contact 
information, 

(Image)
Animated illustration: front car is highlighted, the 
words “Vehicle Type” appear on the notebook 
next to car

(Speaker: Male announcer)
vehicle descriptions, make, model, year, 

(Image)
Animated illustration: cartoon driver’s license 
appears above car accident and notebook scene, 
the words “License #” appear on the notebook 
next to car

(Speaker: Male announcer)
driver's license numbers, 

(Image)
Animated illustration: cartoon license plate appears 
above car accident and notebook scene, the words 
“License #” appear on the notebook next to car

(Speaker: Male announcer)
license plate numbers, 

(Image)
Animated illustration: cartoon insurance card appears 
above car accident and notebook scene, the word 
“Insurance” appears on the notebook next to car

(Speaker: Male announcer)
insurance companies and policy numbers, 

(Image)
Animated illustration: a person appears next to the car
accident and notebook scene, the words “Witness Info” 
appear on the notebook next to car

(Speaker: Male announcer)
eyewitnesses, names and contact information, 

(Image)
Animated illustration: a street sign pops up next to the 
car accident and notebook scene, the words 
“Accident Location” appear on the notebook next to car

(Speaker: Male announcer)
accident scene location and/or address, 

(Image)
Animated illustration: a police car appears above the 
notebook, the words “Police Info” appear on the 
notebook next to car

(Speaker: Male announcer)
and police officers’ name and badge number. 

(Image)
Animated illustration: smartphone appears in 
front of accident scene, takes photo of scene

(Speaker: Male announcer)
Take photos of all vehicles involved and the 
accident scene if it's safe to do so. 

(Image)
Animated illustration: pencil and paper with “x” 
to sign, pencil moves away from paper in front 
of accident scene

(Speaker: Male announcer)
Don't sign any document unless it's for the police 
or your insurance agent. 

(Image)
Animated illustration: music notes appear above 
car that rear-ended another

(Speaker: Male announcer)
Be polite, 

(Image)
Animated illustration: red circle with a slash over 
the word “FAULT” appears above car that 
rearended another

(Speaker: Male announcer)
but don't tell anyone the accident was your fault, 
even if you think it was. 

(Image)
Animated illustration: cars move forward, car that 
rearended the other drives off, a police car chases 
it with lights and sirens on

(Speaker: Male announcer)
Don't leave the crash scene until the police do. 
This is against the law. It could create more issues. 

(Image) 
Second car drives off scene

(Image)
Animated illustration: Car backs into another car 
with a crash sound

(Speaker: Male announcer)
If you hit a parked car, you aren't required to wait 
for the owner to return. 

(Image)
Animated illustration: box with name and phone 
number appears over cars, then moves under 
windshield wiper. License plate appears over car 
along with a note that writes down license plate info.

(Speaker: Male announcer)
Simply place a note on the car with your name 
and phone number. And jot down the driver's license 
plate in case the driver doesn't see your note. 

(Words on screen)
File a Claim

(Speaker: Male announcer)
File a claim. You can start the claim process 
immediately at the scene and add details when 
things are calmer. 

(Image)
Animated illustration: Smartphone with State Farm
logo appears next to crash scene on the side of the 
road, 800 number appears on screen

(Speaker: Male announcer)
File a claim online with our 
State Farm mobile app 
or call us at 800-SF-CLAIM, 800-732-5246. 
Notify your insurance agent as soon as possible. 

(Image)
Animated illustration: Phone moves to left, building 
with State Farm awning appears

(Speaker: Male announcer)
While the crash itself might be upsetting, dealing 
with the aftermath can be too. 

(Image)
Animated illustration: Car appears with 
‘thought bubble’ above it, scribbles
appear in bubble

(Speaker: Male announcer)
In the days or hours following, you may still be 
shaken up. You could even be beating yourself 
up over what happened, 

(Image)
Animated illustration: in the ‘thought bubble’ 
one car rearends another

(Speaker: Male announcer)
especially if you feel the crash was avoidable. 
Sometimes people who are close to you who 
are also involved, like families and friends, 

(Image)
Animated illustration: house appears with three 
people next to it, ‘thought bubbles’ appear over 
their heads, scribbles appear in the bubbles

(Speaker: Male announcer)
can experience some emotional problems too. 
These feelings are all normal. 

(Image)
Animated illustration: Car with crushed hood 
appears on screen and pulls into garage

(Speaker: Male announcer)
Once time passes, the car is repaired and 
things are back to normal, 

(Image)
Animated illustration: Car drives out of garage, 
music notes appear in ‘thought bubble’ above car, 
car drives off screen

(Speaker: Male announcer)
most car crashes become mere afterthoughts. 

[MUSIC]