I’m being charged with careless driving and the police say diversion is likely. What happens now?
I was ticketed for having an unwarranted car and my appeal was refused. What are my options?
I’ve been issued with a traffic infringement notice (“ticket”), can I challenge it in Court?
What should I do if I'm in a car accident?
I just had a car accident and want to claim insurance. What do I do?
I was in an accident and the other driver claims it’s not their fault. What can I do?
My daughter has received a ticket for a driving offence. It was not her car, and she was not there. I think someone used her name, what can I do?
I’m being charged with careless driving and the police say diversion is likely. What happens now?
It’s up to a Police Prosecution Service (PPS) to decide whether you can get diversion or not. Information about diversions is available in our diversion section.
I was ticketed for having an unwarranted car and my appeal was refused. What are my options?
Your explanation for not having a warrant was not accepted so you must pay the fine now.
I’ve been issued with a traffic infringement notice (“ticket”), can I challenge it in Court?
Yes, you generally can challenge a ticket in Court but if you don’t have a good reason for doing so you are unlikely to win and it may be very expensive. A lawyer can advise you whether in the circumstances you have a good chance of challenging the ticket. You can write to the Police in the first instance explaining the situation – they may waive the ticket.
What should I do if I'm in a car accident?
When you’re in a car accident, you have to:
- Stop and see if anyone is injured, and if they are you have to help them in any way you can e.g. call an ambulance; you also have to call the Police as soon as possible but at least within 24 hours
- Give the owner or driver of the other vehicle (or vehicles) your name, address and other details as soon as possible within 48 hours if you damage another car, or report the accident to the Police if you cannot do this.
If you witness a traffic accident you can report it by dialling *555 from your mobile phone.
I just had a car accident and want to claim insurance. What do I do?
To make an insurance claim after an accident, you need to follow any instructions your insurance company gave you when you took out the insurance.
You should:
- Write down the name, address and phone number of each of the other drivers, along with their vehicle registration number and the name of their insurance company
- Give these same details about yourself to the other driver
- Write down the name, address and phone number of any witnesses to the accident
- Write down, as soon as you can, as much as you can remember about the accident, including
the time of the accident
where it happened
the weather and road conditions
the speeds you think you and the other vehicle were travelling at
Remember never to admit fault at the scene of the accident. For one thing, in the heat of the moment you may get it wrong - other drivers may have contributed to the crash. More importantly, when you bought your insurance, your insurance company agreed to take responsibility for any fault (or liability) you may have. It is their decision whether to admit fault because they may have to pay for damage to other parties as a result. If you admit fault there is a possibility your insurer won’t pay out.
The Insurance Council deals with questions about insurance and complaints about insurance companies. Phone (04) 472 5230 or free-phone 0800 656 516.
I was in an accident and the other driver claims it’s not their fault, what can I do?
At the time of the accident you should follow the procedure in the question above. This way you have the other people’s name and contact details, as well as witnesses’ names and contact details. If you’re totally sure the accident was the other driver’s fault, you can talk to the Police.
My daughter has received a ticket for a driving offence. It was not her car, and she was not there. I think someone used her name. What can I do?
You can take the matter up with the Police Infringement Bureau by explaining your situation and the fact that she wasn’t there. You can call them on (04) 381 0000, or else you can email them.