Non Fault and At Fault Accident Management in Glasgow

After a collision there are two separate questions, and people routinely confuse them. The first is what happens to the car right now. The second is who ends up paying for all of it.

Accident management is the business of joining those two together so that you are not out of pocket for something somebody else caused.

The distinction that decides everything

Non fault means someone else caused the collision. Rear ended at a junction, hit by a driver emerging without looking, struck by a vehicle changing lanes into you.

In that situation the at fault driver's insurer is liable for your losses. That includes recovery of your vehicle, storage while liability is sorted out, repair, a replacement vehicle of a similar class while yours is off the road, and any related out of pocket costs.

At fault means it was your responsibility, and your own policy is what responds, subject to your excess and with the usual consequences for your no claims discount.

Split liability covers the middle ground, where both parties carry a share, and costs are apportioned accordingly.

Which category you are in decides who you should be talking to before you spend any money.

The mistake that costs the most

Calling your own insurer first and letting them take over a non fault claim.

It feels like the responsible thing to do, and it often costs you money. Claiming on your own comprehensive policy for something that was not your fault typically means paying your excess, potentially affecting your no claims discount, and accepting whatever courtesy car your policy provides, which is frequently a small hatchback regardless of what you were driving.

Your insurer will pursue the other party's insurer to recover their outlay, and you may eventually get your excess back. In the meantime you have paid it, and the claim sits on your record.

On a genuine non fault claim, the alternative is that the at fault insurer covers everything directly. No excess from you, no effect on your own policy, and a replacement vehicle matched to what you actually drive.

You are still obliged to notify your insurer that an incident occurred. Notifying is not the same as claiming.

What happens with the car

The vehicle needs recovering, storing and repairing, and each of those has a cost that belongs to whoever was at fault.

Recovery from the scene should be arranged by someone who understands it is a claim rather than a cash job. We attend, load the vehicle appropriately for its condition, and take it somewhere secure rather than leaving you to make decisions on a verge.

Storage matters because liability is not always settled in a day. Storage charges are recoverable on a non fault claim, and they are one of the things people are surprised to discover they have been running up.

Repair goes to a proper bodyshop. On a non fault claim you have a legal right to choose your repairer rather than accept whichever approved network the other insurer prefers, which matters for warranty on prestige and newer vehicles.

Replacement vehicles

On a non fault claim you are entitled to a like for like replacement for the period yours is unavailable, not a downgrade.

If you drive a van for work, that means a van, because otherwise you are losing income too. If you drive an estate because you have three children and a dog, a supermini is not equivalent.

This is the part of a claim most often under delivered when it is handled by the at fault insurer directly, because it costs them more to do it properly.

What to do at the scene

Detail matters more here than anywhere else in the process.

Get the other driver's name, address, phone number, registration, and insurer with policy number. Get independent witness details, which are worth a great deal in a disputed claim and are unobtainable a day later. Photograph the vehicle positions, all damage on both cars, the road layout, signage and markings, and the conditions.

Note the time and direction of travel, and write down your account within the hour while it is accurate.

If details are not exchanged, or anyone is injured, or the road is blocked, report it to Police Scotland and get an incident number.

There is a fuller walkthrough in our accident guide.

Be careful who turns up

At busier incidents, particularly in and around Glasgow, vehicles sometimes appear that nobody called.

Do not hand your keys to anyone you did not summon, and do not sign anything at the roadside that you have not read. Signing an unclear document at the scene can commit you to arrangements that are expensive and difficult to unwind.

Choose the company and ring them yourself.

What we do

SRL Recovery handles accident recovery across Glasgow, Lanarkshire and Renfrewshire twenty four hours a day, and manages non fault claims end to end: recovery, secure storage, engineer inspection, repair at a bodyshop of your choosing, a matched replacement vehicle and the paperwork with the other insurer.

On a non fault claim, in the great majority of cases, you pay nothing.

See our accident claim page and our non fault accident recovery service. Call 01698 700970.

Quick answers

Do I have to use my own insurance if the crash was not my fault? No. On a non fault claim the other driver's insurer is liable, which usually means no excess and no effect on your no claims discount.

Can I choose my own repairer? Yes. On a non fault claim you are entitled to choose rather than accept the other insurer's approved network.

Will I get a like for like replacement vehicle? On a non fault claim you should, matched to the class of vehicle you actually drive, including vans for business use.

What if the other driver was uninsured? There is still a route to recovery of your losses. Report it to the police, get an incident number, and call us to talk it through.