
Step 1. I am trying to figure out who is at fault
Information about fault All drivers and owners have a duty to other road users to take reasonable care. Generally, any person who is negligent (does not take reasonable care) in the driving, control or maintenance of a vehicle and causes damage as a result is at fault and will be responsible for the damage caused. For example, a driver may be negligent if they:
- drink drive;
- speed;
- don’t obey a traffic light or sign; or
- don’t keep a proper lookout.
- the availability and credibility of witnesses
- physical evidence, for example photos, videos, damage reports, skid marks on roads
- interpretation of the Road Rules.
- write a statement about what happened
- draw a diagram of where the accident took place.
- who was driving (names and addresses of people, colour, make, model and plates of each vehicle)
- where (name of roads, direction of travel, relevant cross-streets )
- when (date and time)
- what the conditions were like (weather, lighting, road surface and condition and speed limit)
- what happened (before, during and after the incident, what you saw the other driver do and what you did, including:
- speed of travel
- lane of travel
- action you took (e.g. sound your horn, brake, put on your blinkers, swerve – left or right?)
- action the other driver took (what you saw and heard)
- what you did after the accident, for example:
- what did you observe about the scene (e.g. skid marks on the road) and the cars involved after the accident
- what you and any other people involved or witnesses said (their names and contact details if possible)
- did the police attend (what was the name, rank and station of the police officer and date and time reported?).
- take photos of any damage to your car and the other car.
- take photos of the scene, for example showing the position of the cars, the condition of the road, or lines of sight.
- take video footage, for example, from a dashcam.
- get CCTV footage as soon as possible (footage is often recorded over after a set timeframe and may be lost)
- get signed statements from any independent witnesses to the accident, for example, people who have no reason to take sides in the dispute.
- read the NSW Road Rules on the Roads and Maritime Service website, and see if they support your argument you are not at fault? Information about the NSW road rules is available from the Roads and Maritime Road Rules page.
To read more about the evidence you could collect to show who was at fault, including example sketches of car accident diagrams and information about how to get witness contact details see:
- Evidence on the LawAccess NSW website
- Going to court on the LawAccess NSW website.
- Responding to a Statement of Claim on the LawAccess NSW website.