Alert authorities by calling local law enforcement, even if the accident seems minor. You may need a copy of the police report later.

Protect your vehicle from further damage. If your car was directly involved in the accident, don’t attempt to drive it — even to a repair shop. Instead, get your car out of the roadway safely as soon as possible (if road, traffic, and weather conditions permit it).

Obtain driver information from those involved. If it’s safe, exchange insurance policy information with the other driver(s): make a note of their insurance company and policy number. Most important, exchange licenses. Copy down driver license numbers and addresses. Ask the other driver(s) if the information on their license is current and correct, and always ask for current contact numbers (landline and cell).

Obtain vehicle information next. Write down the make, model, year, license-plate number and insurance information for every car involved in the accident.

Passengers, witnesses, and others involved should also be noted. Write down the total number of people involved in the accident, taking into account other drivers, all involved passengers, injured parties, and witnesses. Get names and contact numbers, if possible.

Local law enforcement should be called to the scene. When they arrive, ask the attending officer for the police-report number assigned to your case, as well as the accident’s jurisdiction. It can be smart to also get the officer’s name and badge number.

Let Allstate know about the accident as soon as possible. You can call your Allstate agent from the scene, or call 1-800-Allstate® for help with towing options and costs, or to obtain the address of the nearest PRO shop.

Finally, if you’re traveling with a camera or camera phone, it’s a good idea to take pictures at the scene. Get shots of any vehicle damage, license plates, and people claiming to be injured. This kind of documentation may help later with your claim.