Stop and establish what happened
If you are involved in or contribute to a collision that causes injury, death or damage, stop immediately. This duty does not depend on whether your own vehicle has visible damage or whether you believe another driver caused the event.
Find out the nature and extent of injuries and damage. Give the assistance you are capable of providing, and obtain emergency help where required. Do not create another collision while approaching an injured person or moving around the vehicles. The purpose is to protect life and establish the facts, not to leave quickly after deciding who is at fault.
Give the required identifying details
When a person with reasonable grounds asks, give your name and address, the owner’s name and address, and the vehicle registration number. Record the corresponding information accurately. The duty applies even if you believe the other person will be making an insurance claim rather than laying a criminal complaint.
Keep the event’s location and circumstances clear enough to report accurately. Do not substitute an informal agreement or a photograph of a licence disc for the legal reporting duties.
Report promptly and use the correct deadline
If the collision has not already been reported to a police or traffic officer at the scene, report it as soon as reasonably practicable. SAPS distinguishes the deadline: within 24 hours where someone was killed or injured, and on the first working day in other cases. The statutory provision accounts for a driver who is incapable of reporting because of injuries.
Report in person to a police officer at a police station or the competent traffic authority’s designated office, and produce the required driving licence, identity number and event information. A phone call to an insurer is not the police report. Request the official report reference.
Moving vehicles after injury or death
Where someone was killed or injured, preserve the vehicle positions until an officer authorises movement. The manual’s obstructed-road exception requires clearly marking the resting positions before moving vehicles to clear a complete obstruction. Its double negative is a drafting error, not a command to leave an unmarked scene.
The driver or owner must give the required permission before a damaged vehicle is removed by a recovery operator. Do not confuse arranging a tow with an officer’s authority to alter an injury scene. Where immediate danger threatens life, obtain emergency assistance and avoid exposing people while preserving what information you safely can.
Do not drink before fulfilling the duties
Do not take alcohol or a narcotic drug before completing the required report and any required medical examination, except as instructed or administered by a medical practitioner for injury or shock. Taking a drink to calm down can compromise the legal process as well as safety.
Worked situation
Two vehicles collide on Saturday without anyone being injured, causing property damage. If no officer has taken the report at the scene, report as soon as practicable; SAPS gives the first working day as the deadline for that category. If a person is injured, the 24-hour deadline applies instead. Do not treat the longer property-only deadline as a reason to delay help or exchanging details.