A. Within 24 hours
Select language
A. Within 24 hours
B. Within 36 hours
C. Within 48 hours
D. There's no need to tell the police - just make sure the injured people are OK
You must tell a police officer within 24 hours if you hurt someone in a crash.
After a crash the first thing you need to do is stop. If your vehicle is mobile, move it to a safe place and put your hazard warning lights and headlights on.
Check the other vehicles for injured people and render assistance if you can. It helps to have basic first aid knowledge, particularly how to do CPR.
If people require medical assistance then call 111 and let the operator know what types of emergency vehicles you need - ambulance, police or fire.
If the situation is dangerous, don't put yourself at risk of becoming another casualty. This includes things like live power lines down and on the road or over vehicles, a vehicle on fire, hazardous goods spilled, and even vehicles that are quite damaged but where the airbag hasn't deployed. There might be sharp corners on torn metal, hot surfaces exposed or fuel spilled.
Read our advanced guide to what you should do if you have a crash by clicking here.
In New Zealand in 2015 there were more crashes than in 2014, and 2016 is looking worse, too. The latest crash death statistics are here.
The main causes of crashes are: