how to deal with an accident 101

I've decided to do up an entry on the Do's and Don't's of what to do when you get into an accident.  If you, like me pre-January 2013, have no idea what actually elapses if you have the misfortune of getting into an accident, this could be helpful.

So here we go.

BANG! Accident. Oh shit. Shock and horror, maybe you start crying. Take a second or two to calm yourself. Get out of your car ASAP and make sure nobody's hurt and nothing is on fire, and that no fuel is leaking (if any of this is the case call the police right away). Check on the other driver and make sure they're okay, help them out of their car if they need it.

If you are causing a major traffic obstruction, try and safely move your cars off the road. People watching accidents tend to cause more accidents. Call the police and make a report. They may or may not send a car down.

Okay, you're both safe and it wasn't your fault. Or it was. Or it was both of you at fault. SAY NOTHING ABOUT IT. Do not utter a word. Don't even say sorry (even if it's your fault). If the other party is a hysterical lunatic DON'T be tempted to say sorry to defuse the situation like I did (I need to harden up).

Pen and paper, phone whatever, exchange the following details;
Name
Address
Phone number
License number
Registration number
Insurance details (basically the company name is enough)

Take lots of photos of everything. The accident site, ALL the damage to the cars, as thoroughly as you can. Remember exactly where it happened if you can, because you will need to indicate this on paper and over the phone to your insurance company.

Lastly, call your insurance company and tell them what happened, every last detail if you can (how long you were waiting at an intersection, road signs, speed limits etc). They'll usually ask you all the relevant questions and guide you along with the process.

And done! The excess will have to be paid and depending on your insurance policy and who's fault it was the outcomes are different in terms of your excess. Your fault/both at fault? Excess not refunded, and be grumpy for a few weeks. Not your fault? Smile, get your excess back and your shiny fixed car back. 

One hour of sleep.

Last night I only managed one hour. The past week has seen me waking up, coughing till I start to gag for about 20 minutes, then struggle to get back to sleep with an itchy throat just begging for more coughing. It's been a painful week of it. Plus taking about two hours to fall asleep in the first place. Oh and chuck three exams into the picture.  I just hope to god that I pass them all.

Moving out to Werribee has come underway nicely.  Thankfully we have settled on a house despite some minor disagreements. Finding the perfect house isn't always easy when everyone has their own ideas. But we finally came together on one, with just a little bit of persuasion. It's a wonderful house, spacious and clean. Old but not dated, and well maintained.

I'm just really looking forward to more space. That house had a million storage cupboards. This apartment can no longer fit everything I own. Every cupboard is full, my wardrobe is bursting. It's scary how much stuff I've come to own in just three years. And who would've thought at all how quick time would fly.

Only two more years of vet to go?? What... I never thought I'd ever reach this point. Or rather at the start it felt like a million miles away. I'm glad not to have had to sit any supps... well not yet. Even some of the smartest cookies in the above years have sat supps. So I suppose to get this far without one is pretty damn good in my books. Let's keep the good times going for another 4 sets of exams shall we? :D

I never got to mention that Yigang made his fabulous appearance some time in October. I feel bad for not having more time. It was good he had other friends here to hang with while I was being a busy bee. So glad we got to spend one solid weekend together :)

So it's my last few weeks in the city. In this lovely apartment I've called home for 3 years. I've grown so attached to this place. It's gonna be so hard to let go. There's just.. nowhere else that can compare. Where else can you walk to eat a 5 dollar pizza, pub/bar hop within a 300m radius, eat awesome Asian food at 5am and arrive  home in a happy stupor in 5 minutes? Ahhh... I've done it a disservice this semester by not living it up like I used to. 

Oh well. Guess I'm preparing for what life will be like in the next year. But with CAR. So life won't be all bad.