If you have been involved in a car accident, regardless of who is at fault, there are certain things you should do to reduce the amount of work and administration you will have to do afterward.

Here are 10 things to remember when you are involved in a car accident.

1. Be prepared by keeping an accident packet in your car. Make sure you have a pen, paper and insurance details handy so you can provide your details to other drivers. Keep a disposable camera or use your cell phone camera to take photos or videos of the scene and send them to your insurance company.

2. Make sure you stop at the scene of an accident. By law you must stop if you hit a pet or a person.

3. Once stopped, make sure the scene is safe by shutting off engines, turning on hazard lights, and alerting oncoming traffic.

4. If someone is injured, or the road is blocked, or a vehicle catches fire in a precarious situation, call 999 and call the emergency services.

5. No matter who is to blame, try to remain calm, as yelling and hurting yourself will not make the situation any better.

6. Make sure you get the names and details of any witnesses. Car registration numbers, location, and direction of travel can be helpful.

7. Exchange your data with other drivers involved. Make sure you get their name, address, car registration number and insurance company details.

8. Make sketches, take notes and photos/video of the scene, so you can show the insurance company what happened. Remember to include street names, direction of travel, and other useful information about the area. The person dealing with your insurance claim may not be local and may not know the area.

9. Take note of additional information or other factors that could have contributed to the accident. Consider the weather, the amount of traffic, the speed of traffic, whether a driver was on the phone or not paying attention, the speed of other vehicles.

10. Be sure to contact your insurance company to let them know you’ve been involved in an accident, even if you don’t intend to file a claim, and no matter who is at fault. Give them all the information you’ve collected. You may also want to check your policy to see if you are entitled to a rental because it needs to be repaired.

Now that you know more about what to do after an accident, you can be prepared and make sure you have all the information you need.