Being involved in a road accident is genuinely stressful anywhere, and having a clear, calm sense of what to actually do first makes a real difference to how smoothly everything that follows goes.

Step one: check for injuries, always first

Before anything else, check yourself for injuries, then check on any passengers or other people involved if you’re able to safely do so. If anyone is injured, call 1669 for emergency medical services immediately, this comes before insurance, before police reports, before anything else. Move to a safe area if possible, and use hazard lights or warning triangles to alert other traffic while you wait for help to arrive.

Calling the right numbers

Call 191 for general police, and for English-language support specifically, the Tourist Police on 1155 are a genuinely useful resource for foreigners, worth calling alongside or instead of the general line if language is a concern. Even for smaller incidents without injuries, it’s worth calling the police, a formal report genuinely strengthens your insurance claim and creates an official record that can matter if there’s any later dispute about what actually happened.

Documenting the scene properly

Before moving anything (unless the vehicle is causing a serious traffic obstruction, in which case photograph everything first), take thorough photos and video of all vehicles involved, the damage itself, license plates, road conditions, traffic signs, and the overall scene from multiple angles. Exchange details with the other driver, name, phone number, license plate, and insurance information, and if there are any witnesses nearby, politely ask for their names and contact details too, this can genuinely matter later.

What not to do at the scene

Stay calm and polite throughout, but avoid admitting fault, accepting liability, or agreeing to an informal cash settlement before speaking with your insurer, even if the situation feels genuinely straightforward in the moment. Limit your statements to simple, factual information, and let the police report and your insurance company’s proper assessment determine liability, rather than resolving anything informally on the spot.

Contacting your insurer

Call your insurance company’s 24-hour hotline as soon as it’s safe to do so, ideally directly from the scene itself. Most insurers will send a surveyor to assess the situation and can guide you through their specific claims process from that point, including whether a formal police report is required for your particular case. Many major insurers also participate in a simplified “Knock for Knock” agreement, if both vehicles hold Class 1 insurance and both drivers agree on fault, you can complete a simplified exchange form and separate the vehicles to clear traffic without waiting for a surveyor on-site.

If you were in a rented vehicle

Contact the rental company immediately as well, they often have their own specific procedures, insurance arrangements, and local contacts that need to be brought into the process before any repair or settlement discussion moves forward. Don’t assume your own travel insurance automatically covers a rented motorbike or scooter either, many standard travel policies exclude vehicles above a certain engine size, worth confirming this specifically rather than assuming coverage applies.

Keeping your paperwork organised

Keep every receipt related to the accident, towing, medical costs, transport, repairs, these all matter for your claim and any potential reimbursement. Get the police report number as soon as it’s available, and request the full written report and any accident sketch once it’s been completed, your insurer will generally need this documentation to process your claim properly.

If it’s genuinely serious

For accidents involving serious injury or death, contact your embassy as well, and it’s genuinely worth considering hiring a Thai lawyer, particularly for anything beyond a straightforward, minor incident. Don’t sign any document you don’t fully understand, request a translation or bring a Thai-speaking friend if you’re asked to attend a police station for further discussion.

Final thoughts

Knowing this sequence clearly, safety first, document thoroughly, avoid admitting fault or settling informally, and contact your insurer promptly, turns a genuinely stressful situation into a manageable, straightforward process. Saving the key numbers, 1669, 191, 1155, and your insurer’s hotline, in your phone now means you’re prepared well before you’d ever actually need them.

Save Thailand’s emergency numbers, browse JLIT’s directory of insurance providers, or explore legal services for guidance following a serious accident.