If You Have a Crash

1️⃣Right after a crash

• Stop immediately. Turn on hazard lights, switch off the engine and check for approaching traffic before getting out.
• Check first whether anyone is hurt — the other car, pedestrians and your own passengers.
• If anyone is injured, call 119 right away. If someone is unconscious or bleeding heavily, give first aid as the 119 operator instructs. Do not move someone who may have neck or back injuries unless there is a greater danger such as fire.
• Prevent a secondary crash: hazard lights on, a warning triangle if needed, and people off the road to a safe place.
• Report to the police (112): the location, the number of casualties and their injuries, what was damaged and how badly, and any other action taken.
• Record the scene, exchange contact and insurance details with the other party, then call your insurer.

📞When you must report to the police

Korea's Road Traffic Act requires a driver involved in a crash to stop at once, help any casualties, and give the victim personal details such as name and contact information. The driver must report without delay to a police officer at the scene or, if none, to the nearest police station.

However, if it is clear that only vehicles were damaged and you have taken the steps needed to remove danger and keep traffic moving, there is no duty to report. Such property-only crashes are often settled between the parties through insurance.

If anyone is even slightly hurt, or might be, reporting is the rule. It is also wise to call 112 if the other driver seems drunk, if there is a serious dispute about fault, or if they refuse to give contact details.

📸Taking photos and moving the cars

• Take wide shots showing the whole scene and close-ups of both cars' positions and damage.
• Include wheel direction, lane lines and stop lines, traffic lights, and debris or skid marks.
• Note the other car's plate and the driver's license, contact details and insurer. Get contact details from any witnesses.
• Once photos are taken, move the cars to the roadside or another safe place to prevent congestion and secondary crashes. Arguing at length in the middle of the road is the most dangerous thing you can do.
• Save dashcam footage right away before it is overwritten. Footage from the other car, nearby cars and shops can also help.

🏃When it becomes hit-and-run

In Korea, injuring someone and leaving without helping them is treated as hit-and-run (fleeing after causing injury) and punished severely. If you leave without giving contact details because the victim said they were fine, and it later turns out they were injured, you may face problems. With children in particular, contact a guardian and leave your details even if the child says they are fine.

Even if no one is hurt, leaving a crash without taking the necessary steps is punishable. Scratching a parked car and leaving without contact details — so-called property hit-and-run — is also punished. If you cannot find the owner, leave your details clearly or inform the police.

🧾Minor crashes and insurance

Even for a light bump, it saves trouble to take photos, exchange details and report to your respective insurers rather than agreeing to forget it. Insurers decide fault ratios from dashcam and scene evidence, so there is no need to sign a statement admitting fault at the scene.

In Korea, if you have comprehensive motor insurance, there is a special rule that in principle exempts you from criminal prosecution even if the other party was injured. But you can still be punished if someone dies or is seriously injured, if you fled, or if the injury resulted from serious negligence such as running a red light, crossing the center line, exceeding the limit by more than 20 km/h, drunk or unlicensed driving, or failing to protect pedestrians at a crosswalk (the so-called 12 serious offenses).

Pain sometimes appears the next day. If you feel unwell after a crash, see a doctor promptly so there is a medical record.

💬FAQ