Accidents are never welcome during vacation, but when they do occur, you need to know what to do. Not only can they put a damper on your holiday but also put a dent in your pockets. Dealing with an accident when your own car is involved is pretty straight forward. But an accident involving a rental car is not something most people are familiar with. Whether you are already in that precarious situation or you want to be informed, these step by step instructions will come in handy.

1.    Ensure the safety of everyone
After an accident, the first step should always be to make sure everyone involved is okay. This includes you, the people with you and the people in the other car. Talk to them, help everyone get out of the car, and call the emergency services and the police.

2.    Exchange contact information
If the accident involves another car or property, the second thing is to exchange information with the other party before the police arrive. Give out names, addresses, and telephone numbers and of course the registration number of the other car.

3.    Call your rental company
It’s imperative to call your rental company immediately after the accident happens so they can be there for you. A good company like globe auto rental will walk you through what to do via phone and send someone to help you immediately. They also make arrangements on towing the car, organizing for repairs and replacing the car if need be.

4.    Make records
Now that you have called the emergency services, police and Rental Company, you should make a record of the accident. Record everything you remember and take pictures of the accident. You can even record the condition of the road, weather, and anything that might have caused the accident because of liability issues with the insurance company.

5.    Deal with insurance
This is the only complicated part of having a collision with a rental car because there is a lot to consider. If you took optional rental insurance from the rental company, you don’t have much to worry about. There are basically three main insurance covers you can choose from a rental company; collision damage waiver, theft protection, and third-party liability. The best cover is the collision waiver because it means the rental company will take care of everything except any special damage in the car. However, they will not refund your deposit.

6.    Call your own insurance company
If you have comprehensive coverage, and you have an accident in your country, your insurance company should take care of the rental car and any other liability. The only money you will add is the deductible, but you have to call them immediately the accident occurs. In some cases, if you paid for the car using your credit card, the company can also take care of the accident liability.
According to major car rental companies, you are responsible for any damage or loss of their car unless you have taken the collision waiver insurance. However, if the accident wasn’t your fault, they can follow up on the responsible party first before involving you.