This list is meant to be printed and kept in every fleet vehicle's glovebox – alongside the European Accident Statement. When a claim happens, it's the piece of paper doing the work, not your memory: top to bottom, point by point. The longer explanations are in the claims process template – this is the condensed version.
- The first five minutes at the scene decide how the claim goes – this list makes them foolproof.
- The order: safety → photos → statement → details → reporting it to the company.
- What not to do: admit fault, argue at the scene, or sign a statement you don't understand.
- The same list applies abroad – plus the Green Card and the statement's language-independent numbered fields.
The list (printable version)
- ☐ Safety: hazard lights, hi-vis vest, warning triangle – if anyone is injured, call the emergency number (112) straight away
- ☐ Photos: the scene from a distance (position of the vehicles), number plates, close-ups of the damage, the traffic situation, brake marks
- ☐ European Accident Statement: filled in together, with a sketch and both signatures – note any disagreement in the remarks field
- ☐ Details: the other party's name, registration number, insurer, policy number; witnesses' names and phone numbers
- ☐ Authorities: consider calling them for personal injury, a dispute, or a foreign party – if they attend, note the report number
- ☐ Report it: call the fleet manager while still at the scene; send a photo of the statement
The three don'ts
Don't admit fault at the scene – record the facts, the decision is the insurer's to make. Don't get drawn into an argument: if you disagree, both positions go on the statement, and the rest isn't a matter for the roadside. Don't sign any statement – especially in a foreign language – that you don't understand: that too can simply be noted in the remarks field. These three rules save more claims than anything else – the background is in the statement article.
Abroad: what to add
Abroad, the same list applies, with three extra points: ☐ the Green Card at hand (checked before departure); ☐ the statement can be filled in by field number – the other party fills in the same fields in their own language; ☐ the assistance number saved in your phone (towing, onward travel). The full process for abroad: claims abroad and the Green Card.
How to get it into the glovebox
Print it, laminate it (it'll outlast the glovebox), and put it in every vehicle alongside the European Accident Statement – this is exactly one of the points on the vehicle change checklist. Walk through it once with drivers at the briefing – five minutes, refreshed annually. On request, I'll also prepare it print-ready, filled in with your company's details (fleet manager's name, number, channel).
Why paper, why laminated?
A fair question, why not an app: because the moment of a claim is the worst possible time to experiment with technology. At the scene, the phone battery might be dead, there might be no signal, hands might be shaking, it might be pouring with rain – a laminated sheet is immune to all of that. The digital layer is the backup: a photo of the list on the phone, the assistance number saved in contacts, the address for sending the statement photo set up in advance. Together the two make a good system: paper at the scene, digital for sending it on. And one small thing that matters a lot: keep the list in plain sight in the glovebox – a cheat sheet buried at the bottom of the box doesn't exist when it's actually needed.
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