Drivers who use cell phones while driving run a much higher risk of crashing. That’s why states have introduced laws to try and discourage people from doing so. Yet your cell phone can come in handy after a crash. Providing of course that you are still in a fit state to use it.
Here are three ways how:
You can call the police with your phone
Ringing 9-1-1 is a legal requirement for all but the most minor of crashes and it is best to do it anyway to be sure. Failing to report a crash that you should have could leave you vulnerable to criminal prosecution.
Then you can use it to collect evidence
If the police turn up, they will collect evidence, but there is no harm in collecting some of your own. Most modern phones have cameras. You can also use the video facility of the camera to record speech if you do not have a separate voice recorder.
Take pictures of the crash from as many angles as possible, and grab both close-up and far-off shots. The different perspectives build a more complete picture of what happened and the damage done.
Voices you might want to record include witnesses (with their permission of course) and your own. Dictating is quicker than typing your thoughts or writing down facts and more reliable than trying to remember them later.
Finally, you can call others to assist you
You can call family and friends or bosses to let them know what has happened so they can cover for you, come to fetch you or meet you at the hospital. It’s also wise to call your insurer to report the accident sooner rather than later.
You may also want to call for legal assistance to explore your compensation options. All in all, a cell phone can be a handy thing to carry when driving, provided of course you only use it when appropriate.
