If you’ve been driving for a while you’ve probably witnessed or been involved in at least one parking lot fender bender (or what we at Acorn call the “everyday crash”).
A Crash Index report released by AAMI Insurance collected and organised car accident data for the period between October 2012 and September 2013. It revealed that the majority of accidents that occurred during that period — more than 75,000 — were the typical fender bender.
The reason the parking lot fender bender is such a common type of accident is that parking lot driving is often done in confined spaces, often with diminished lighting, and there remains a common ignorance amongst drivers of the rules that apply in the parking lot environment.
But while the parking lot fender bender is so common amongst Australian drivers and is usually a low-grade accident, it is often unclear to the drivers involved what the process is to get them back on the road.
We’ve already dealt with a number of topics relating to accident recovery on the Acorn blog (see below for a list), but we haven’t yet dealt with the steps required for you to get a replacement vehicle with us, to have you back on the road in a car you love as quickly as possible.
Step one is to make an application for a replacement vehicle. You can do this either by calling our friendly and dedicated reservations’ team on 1300 22 67 67 or by filling out an online application form.
Step two — approving your application — is for us to do, but it normally only takes a few minutes. You should be aware that it might take longer to approve your application if we have trouble confirming whether you were at fault for the accident.
Once your application is approved, step three is organising the transfer of whatever replacement vehicle you choose. This is ordinarily done at the place where your car is being repaired, but if that doesn’t suit you we can arrange for its delivery at your home or office.
Step four — vehicle handover — is where you get the keys to your replacement vehicle. At this point we will ask you to read over and sign our standard rental agreement, our contract of indemnity, and our standard letter attesting to why you need the replacement vehicle.
In step five we monitor the progress of your vehicle repair and keep you updated as to its progress. In step six, we confirm your vehicle has been repaired and we arrange the drop off and transfer of the replacement vehicle for your own vehicle.