If you figured in a car accident and police officers arrive on the scene, one of the most common questions that arise in this situation is will they run your vehicle information at the scene of the accident. Also, will they make sure that you have active insurance on the vehicle?
Read along as we discuss what the police officers’ process is when they show up at the scene of the accident.
What do police officers do when they show up at the scene of the accident?
Depending on the severity of the car accident, police officers will sometimes show up to help the people involved or investigate the accident. When you figure in a car accident regardless if it is your fault or somebody else’s, it is easy to feel shocked and confused. Whenever there is a car accident, police officers are usually called on.
Here are the different things that police officers do at the scene of the accident:
Make sure everybody is okay
The first and foremost thing that police officers do at the scene of the accident is to make sure that everybody is okay. They will come in and assess the situation and talk to the parties involved and determine if additional medical assistance is needed. They will also offer to call family members or friends if you are unable to drive.
Take photos of the scene
After making sure that everyone is okay, the police will start investigating the scene of the accident by taking photo evidence. Taking photos after the accident ensures that the scene has not been tampered with. These photos will help in determining what happened and whose party was at fault.
Conduct field sobriety tests if needed
Police officers can also conduct field sobriety tests if they have enough evidence to suspect that alcohol or drugs might be a factor in the accident.
Talk to witnesses
Police officers not only talk to the people involved but also witnesses who were there and can provide insight as to what happened. They will usually let the witness provide a statement and contact information in case they need to be contacted in the future for additional questions.
Write a police report
Lastly, the police officers in the scene will write a police report as to what happened. Police reports are crucial with all insurance claims especially if one party is at fault. This provides a third-party account and reporting of what happened and will help determine the responsible party.
Will police officers run your license plate?
There are many instances when police officers opt to run your license plates and figuring in a car accident might be one of them. The main goal to run the license plate is to make sure that you are the rightful owner of the vehicle and to make sure that the plate matches the vehicle in question.
Police officers also run license plates to pull up information about whether the driver has a valid driver’s license. You might run into bigger problems if your car registration is suspended or possess a canceled driver’s license. They can easily do this by opening a web portal through their internal system and inputting your license plate information.
Will police officers make sure you have valid insurance coverage on your vehicle?
Yes, police officers can also ask for your auto insurance information to make sure that you have valid insurance on your vehicle. Besides the DMV, the police are considered as one of the qualified third parties that can check car insurance data.
You must always have your auto insurance information in your car or your possession while driving. There are some states where the police officers can tun the insurance information in the system to make sure that it is still valid and meets state requirements.
If you don’t have valid insurance, you can get a ticket and be subject to fines. This will also affect your driving record negatively.
If you or your loved one was involved in a car accident – contact Jordan Law in Orlando today!
Getting involved in a car accident can be a harrowing ordeal and on top of that, you also have to worry about your vehicle information being run in a system and if your insurance is valid. If you are involved in a car accident, contact Jordan Law in Orlando today!
We are a team of legal professionals who can help simplify the complex intricacies of the law. Being a party in a car accident is already stressful, let us help you so that you will know what your rights are and how you can best rise above this situation.