Car Accident in Europe: What to Do, Step by Step

After a car accident anywhere in Europe you do six things in order: stop, make the scene safe, call 112 if anyone is hurt, exchange details on the European Accident Statement, photograph everything, and call your rental company's assistance line before you move the car or agree to anything. Those six steps satisfy the 1968 Vienna Convention, every national road code we checked, and the rental contract in your glovebox.

This guide explains the legal duties behind each step, where they differ between France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Austria, Switzerland and the Netherlands, what your rental company will demand, and how the EU insurance system lets you claim at home afterwards. For the form itself, box by box, see our separate guide on how to fill in the European Accident Statement.

Key Takeaways

• Every driver involved must stop, protect the scene, identify themselves on request, and call the police if anyone is injured, under art. 31 of the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic, in force since 21 May 1977 (UN Treaty Collection).
• 112 is free from any phone in every EU country, and cars type-approved since 31 March 2018 dial it automatically after a serious crash (Regulation (EU) 2015/758).
• Spain replaced warning triangles with a connected V-16 beacon for Spanish-registered cars on 1 January 2026; most rental cars there carry one (Maldita, 13 January 2026).
• Minimum third-party cover is the same across the EU: EUR 6,450,000 per accident for injury and EUR 1,300,000 for property damage (Dillon Eustace on Directive 2021/2118).
• The at-fault insurer must make a reasoned offer within 3 months of your claim, or pay interest, under art. 22 of Directive 2009/103/EC (legislation.gov.uk text).
• EU roads recorded about 19,400 deaths in 2025, down 3 percent, with roughly 100,000 serious injuries (European Commission, 24 March 2026).

What do you do in the first ten minutes?

The order below works in every country. Only the equipment and the police rules change, and those are covered in the next sections.

Do not:

• Leave before details are exchanged. Leaving the scene is a criminal offence in Germany, France, Italy and the Netherlands (see the table below).
• Admit fault, in writing or in conversation. EU guidance: "do not admit liability" (Your Europe).
• Settle in cash or accept a cash settlement at the scene.
• Move a vehicle after an injury accident until the police allow it (Vienna Convention art. 31; Italy art. 189 Codice della Strada).
• Arrange repairs yourself. Rental companies work only with their own service partners (Sixt).

Step 1, stop. Art. 31(1)(a) of the Vienna Convention requires every driver involved to "stop as soon as he can do so without causing an additional danger to traffic" (Convention on Road Traffic, 1968).

Step 2, make it safe. Vest on before leaving the vehicle; warning triangle, or in Spain the V-16 beacon. The equipment table below shows what each country requires.

Step 3, call 112 if anyone is hurt, the road is blocked, or the other driver has left. For damage-only accidents several countries allow the police to be omitted if the drivers exchange identities; the next section lists them.

Step 4, complete the form. One European Accident Statement for both vehicles, each driver in their own column, both signatures, one copy each. The box-by-box guide explains each part and what signing means in law.

Step 5, photograph plates, damage, the scene and the completed form. Without a form, Insurance Europe lists what to record: date and place, the other driver's name, insurer, policy or Green Card number, registration and country, make, witnesses, police reference and circumstances (Insurance Europe).

Step 6, call the rental assistance line on the key tag or rental agreement. Europcar's FAQ: emergency services first if anyone is injured, then roadside assistance, then a written accident report "even in the event of minor damage, such as scratches" (Europcar).

Do you have to call the police?

Always when someone is injured. Art. 31(1)(d) of the Vienna Convention requires drivers to notify the police after any injury or death and to stay at the scene until they arrive, unless they leave to help the injured (UN Treaty Collection). For damage-only accidents the Convention lets states waive that duty, and most have, with conditions.

Two cases override the table. If the other driver is uncooperative, drunk, or disputes everything, call the police: the European Consumer Centre advises it and your rental company will ask for the reference (ECC France). A collision with a wild animal in Germany should be reported to the police, who contact the local hunter; the animal must not be removed (HanseMerkur).

What must you carry, and what must you wear?

Almost every European country requires a warning triangle in the car, and many require every occupant who steps out after a breakdown or accident to wear a high-visibility vest. The rules apply to rental cars; check the kit at pickup (ÖAMTC, 2026).

If you also plan to cross passes in winter, chains and winter tyres have their own rules, covered in our Alpine winter driving guide.

How does 112 and eCall work?

One number, 112, reaches police, fire and ambulance free of charge from any phone, including a locked phone with no SIM, in all 27 EU states, under art. 109 of the European Electronic Communications Code (Directive (EU) 2018/1972). Operators must also pass the caller's location to the emergency centre at no charge (Directive 2018/1972, art. 109). Switzerland, Norway and the UK use it too.

Rental cars mostly have the second layer built in. Every new car type approved in the EU from 31 March 2018 carries 112-based eCall, which dials 112 and sends the car's position automatically after a serious crash, or when you press the SOS button near the mirror (Regulation (EU) 2015/758). If you cannot speak the language, say "English" and the country name; the operator will switch or relay. More on the system is in our piece on whether driving in Europe is safe.

How does insurance work across EU borders?

Three rules cover almost every tourist case.

First, every car in the EU carries compulsory third-party liability insurance, and a rental is no exception. Since Directive (EU) 2021/2118 amended the Motor Insurance Directive 2009/103/EC, the minimum cover is EUR 6,450,000 per accident for personal injury (or EUR 1,300,000 per injured person) and EUR 1,300,000 per accident for property damage, with countries free to set more (Dillon Eustace, Ganado). That policy pays the other party if you are at fault. Damage to your rental car is a separate matter of CDW and excess, explained in our rental car insurance guide.

Second, the law of the country where the accident happened decides fault and compensation, not your home law (Your Europe).

Third, if the other driver was at fault you do not have to chase a foreign insurer in a foreign language. The Motor Insurance Directive obliges every EU insurer to appoint a claims representative in each other member state, and gives the insurer three months from your claim to make a reasoned offer, or a reasoned reply if liability is disputed, with interest payable if it misses the deadline (Directive 2009/103/EC, art. 22).

The Green Card ties this together. Inside the EEA, the UK, Switzerland, Andorra, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and Serbia the number plate itself is proof of insurance. A physical Green Card is still needed for Albania, Azerbaijan, Moldova, Morocco, North Macedonia, Tunisia, Turkey and Ukraine, and since 1 July 2020 it may be printed in black and white or carried as a PDF (Motor Insurers' Bureau, January 2025, BIBA). For a rental, the card or insurance certificate in the glovebox gives you the insurer and policy number you need for box 8 of the form. Routes that dip into Turkey or the Balkans, such as our Balkans and Turkey itineraries, need that card and the rental company's written cross-border permission.

What does your rental company expect?

The rental agreement adds contractual duties on top of the law. Published requirements of the main suppliers; your own agreement is the binding text.

Two consequences follow from the terms. The renter remains liable for the excess until the other party's insurer accepts liability; separate excess insurance refunds afterwards rather than preventing the charge (Europcar UK). And where the other party's fault cannot be proven for lack of recorded details, Europcar Austria holds the renter liable up to their protection level (Europcar AT).

Drivers from the Gulf or India should carry their licence and, where required, an International Driving Permit; both are requested by police and rental desks after an accident. See also the driving fines guide.

What happens after you get home?

Report the accident to your travel or card insurer even if you plan no claim; Your Europe advises it because late notice can void cover. Keep the signed form, photos, police reference, rental damage report and any receipts for towing or taxis until the rental deposit is released and the three-month window has run.

If the other driver was at fault and you were injured or lost belongings, contact your national information centre, listed by the Council of Bureaux, to identify the foreign insurer's claims representative in your country (Insurance Europe). If there is no representative, the car was uninsured, or the driver fled, your national compensation body takes the claim.

If you planned the trip with Easy Escape, the assistance numbers and the rental's damage procedure are in your itinerary pack, so the first call is never a search.

FAQ

What number do I call after an accident in Europe?

112, from any phone, free, in all EU countries plus Switzerland, Norway and the UK. It covers police, fire and ambulance. For a damage-only crash with no injuries, call the rental assistance number on the key tag first; they will tell you whether local rules or your contract require a police report.

Do I have to call the police for a minor accident?

Not in Germany, France, Austria or the Netherlands if nobody is hurt and both drivers exchange name, address and insurance details. Call them anyway if the other driver refuses to cooperate, seems drunk, or leaves, and whenever your rental contract requires a report; Sixt requires one in all cases.

Is leaving the scene a crime?

Yes, across Europe. Germany prosecutes it under §142 StGB, France as délit de fuite with up to 3 years' prison and EUR 75,000, Italy under art. 189 of the road code, and the Netherlands under art. 7 WVW. Stopping and identifying yourself is required by art. 31 of the Vienna Convention, which all these countries have ratified.

Who pays if the other driver was at fault?

Their compulsory liability insurer, under the law of the country where it happened. You can file the claim at home through that insurer's claims representative, and they must respond with a reasoned offer within 3 months. For the rental car itself, the rental company claims against the other insurer, and refunds your excess once liability is accepted.

Do I need the European Accident Statement if I hit a wall with nobody else involved?

For a rental, yes. The form covers own damage, theft and fire, and Europcar Switzerland and Guerin require a signed statement regardless of a counterparty. Fill in your column, describe the object in box 4, sketch the position, and send a photo of the form to the supplier within 48 hours.

Is a Spanish V-16 beacon required in my rental car?

Since 1 January 2026 Spanish-registered cars must carry a connected V-16 beacon instead of triangles, so a car rented in Spain should have one; check at pickup. A car registered elsewhere may still use triangles in Spain under the Vienna Convention's rule that vehicles follow the equipment law of the country of registration.

Legal notice

• Not legal, insurance or financial advice. This article is general information for travellers and is not a substitute for advice from a lawyer, your insurer, your rental company or the police in the country where the accident happened.
• Law differs and changes. Road traffic, insurance and equipment rules vary between countries and are amended often. Facts here were checked against the sources listed on 27 October 2026 and may be out of date when you read them. Confirm current rules with the official bodies linked below before relying on them.
• Rental and insurance contracts prevail. Your rental agreement and insurance policy set the deadlines and procedures that bind you and may be stricter than anything described here.
• Your own responsibility. What you say, sign or refuse to sign at the scene is your decision and has consequences we cannot assess from a distance. If in doubt, say nothing about fault, record the facts, and ask the police or your insurer.
• No liability. To the fullest extent permitted by law, Easy Escape Road Trips and its authors accept no liability for any loss, damage, injury, fine, claim or cost arising from use of or reliance on this article, including any inaccuracy, omission or change in the law.
• Third parties. We are not affiliated with any insurer, rental company, motoring club or public body named here. External links are for reference; we do not control their content.
• Emergencies. In any emergency call 112 first. Nothing on this page should delay that call.