How to Report Accident in Dubai
Accidents can happen anywhere, anytime, sometimes even despite all the precautions. Authorities have tried their best to make Dubai roads safer for everyone with proper laws and regulations in place. Even in case of an accident, everything is mostly handled by Dubai Police and your insurance firm.
Whether it’s a major or minor accident, you are required to follow a certain protocol and report the event accordingly. The article will cover the possible ways to report road accidents and how to proceed after reporting.
Reporting Accident to Dubai Police
If you get into an accident, reporting it to Dubai Police should be a priority. The accident could be as minor as a bump, but without involving authorities, you will find it hard to get your car repaired or claim insurance. Failure to report may also lead to legal consequences.
Assessing Situation
After an accident, instead of going into panic mode, assess the situation and turn off your engine. If you were driving along the main road, park your car on the side to prevent traffic blockage or in the worst-case scenario, another chain of accidents.
Turn on your hazard lights and check if your passengers are safe and exit the vehicle to note the damage. Moreover, try to cater the list of things not to do after a car accident.
Carry Essential Documents
Carrying identification documents while travelling or driving is important, especially in the UAE. In case of a road accident, failure to prove your identification can result in legal consequences.
Keep the listed documents with you at all time to avoid unnecessary repercussions:
- Emirates ID Card
- Driving License
- Vehicle Registration Card
- Medical Insurance Card
If you are not a UAE resident, carry your international driving licence along with your passport and visa documents.
Reporting Major Accident
If the accident has led to major car damage rendering it immovable, or had caused severe injuries, dial 999 to report the accident to Dubai Police and request an ambulance. A person from traffic police will arrive on the spot to take statements and address the situation.
It’s best to let the police do their job and not get into an argument as this will negatively impact your case. After the inspection, the affected parties will be required to submit their relevant documents for identification.
Since the issued report is usually in Arabic, expats can have difficulty translating it. Dubai Police have implemented colour codes to resolve such issues.
- Pink Slip – Driver is at fault
- Green Slip – Driver is the victim
- White Slip – Both parties are innocent or accused is unclear
Reporting Minor Accident
Statistically, Dubai Police have a lot on their plate, and you should not call 999 for minor accidents. If you got your rental car in an accident in Dubai or very own car, you should report the accident via Dubai Police App through these steps:
- Select Report Traffic Accident from the menu
- It will register your location and ask you to move your vehicle to a safer location
- Select the number of vehicles involved in the accident
- Type or scan your vehicle plate and license number
- Take pictures of the damaged portion of the vehicle
- Follow similar steps for the other involved vehicles
- Enter your mobile number and email address to receive the report
If the parties are not sure who to blame, you can call in traffic personnel from the app or dial 999 to resolve the issue. It usually takes approximately 3 minutes to file your report using the app. Taking the correct pictures of damaged vehicles along with the location visibility is important.
The final report is emailed within 24 hours after the police have completed their investigation. The report can then be directly forwarded to the insurance company.
Reporting Accidents via Enoc Petrol Stations
Since registering accidents via police stations can take hours, Dubai Police have trained employees of ENOC Petrol Stations to aid affected parties with the Dubai Police App. This is one of the best apps to help drivers in Dubai. The trained professionals will also teach you the particulars of the app to improve future awareness.
You will find such stations along main roads like Al Khalil Road and Sheikh Zayed Road. Due to successful nature of their program, the government plans to expand the services further and include more stations.
Dubai Accident Report and Insurance Claim
Once you have received the Dubai Police accident report, contact your insurance company to file car insurance claim.
For serious cases, they will arrange the pickup of the vehicle only after the police have cleared the scene. Otherwise, you can drive your car to the respective workshop. Your insurance company will also handle the claims of other affected parties based on the report.
FAQs
Listed below are some common queries on reporting accidents to Dubai Police.
What if someone damaged your parked car?
In such a scenario, you are to report to the Dubai Police and obtain a damage report. Consequently, there is a possibility that police can also find out the perpetrator through the camera surveillance system.
What if you received two different slips?
Two different slips are often in the case of hitting your car from the front and then getting hit by another car from the rear. As the cause is usually a lack of proper distance between vehicles, you will probably end up with a pink slip for the front hit and green slip for a rear hit.
Reporting accidents to Dubai Police is a hassle-free process but one should take precautions to avoid such scenarios as serious accidents and injuries result in accumulation of black points, vehicle confiscation and fines as per court ruling.
Nowadays, various car models include safety and driving assistance features to reduce the probability of accidents. Explore some of the used cars for sale in Dubai to get a taste of cutting edge technology.
Drive safe and stay tuned to the UAE’s leading auto blogs for more information on car parts, market trends and automotive technology.