Understanding vehicle and injury enquiry routes

Damage to a vehicle and harm to a person follow different routes after a road accident. This explains the difference in plain terms.

General information, not advice about your own situation. Use the official sources to check current guidance.

Two different questions

After a road accident there are usually two separate questions: what happens to the vehicle, and what happens to the people. They are often handled by different people, on different timescales.

The vehicle route

This is about repair, replacement value, and the costs that follow from being without a vehicle. It usually runs through insurers first. Speed matters here, because inspections and estimates are easier while the damage is fresh.

The injury route

This is about harm to a person, and it moves more slowly because it depends on how someone recovers. Medical evidence is central. In England and Wales, lower-value road traffic injury claims follow a specific process set out by the government at Official Injury Claim, and the rules on smaller claims are described on GOV.UK. Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own arrangements.

Explain which type of help you need

The two routes need different information and different people. Explain both needs if both apply, and say if you are unsure. A qualified provider considers the circumstances; Accident Support does not decide legal eligibility.

What this service does not promise

• No replacement or hire vehicle is offered.
• No repair, storage or recovery service is offered.
• No figure, timescale or outcome is suggested.

Calling can help you discuss the type of help you need. Any service, acceptance, funding and terms depend on the circumstances and provider.