What You Should Do In An Auto Accident

With a country that mostly relies upon automobiles for transportation, there is a very good chance in your life that you will have at least a few auto accidents.  Either your fault, or the fault of someone else, it's just a matter of time.  Here are some tips to keep in mind before you get behind the wheel:

1. Always keep a pen and paper handy (laptop or smartphone works too) to record auto accident information.

2. Get a handsfree device or better yet, don't even have a phone or texting device within reach.  Distracted driving is a growing problem and cities are cracking down with major fines.  Is that call really worth it?  Probably not.

3. If you can't drive, call a cab.  If you don't feel that you are capable of driving due to exhaustion, possible intoxication, or other incapacity, use Uber or another taxi car service.  $40-50 for a cab ride home is better than $1000s in legal or other costs.

4. If you can't drive, call a friend.  Ask a favor and you might just save a life while you are at it.

If you are involved in an accident, regardless of potential fault, do the following:

1. Call the police.  It may seem like overkill, but it's a really good idea to have an unbiased third party evaluate the scene.  Police reports could prove a deciding factor in determining fault and speed the claims process.

2. Document everything about the scene.  Here's what to record, if possible:

Name of driver(s) involved

Address(es)

Plate Number(s)

Vehicle Identification Number(s) VINs for short

Phone numbers

Email address(es)

Color, year, make/model of car(s)

Insurance company information

Registration information (state, title, etc.)

3. Take photos of the scene (all cars involved, location, weather, notable landmarks, license plates, anything else that might be pertinent to the inevitable investigation.

4. Talk to all parties and ensure that they are ok.  Failure to acknowledge the other potential victims could lead to legal or other problems.  Don't acknowledge fault, but do show concern for the other drivers' health.

5. Go to the hospital.  You will want to get evaluated as soon as possible in case something creeps up on you later after your body has begun to calm down.  This is not only important for your health, but for any claim you make for injury.

--The Edge

Join Me on Pinterest

I have been playing around a lot with the every excellent Pinterest site.  I am not much of a visual person, but Pinterest makes it easy to share photos and more by "pinning' items you come across on the web.  I recently discovered an awesome data visualization site, Visual.ly, that allows you to share both static and interactive infographics on a variety of topics.  I have added several to the Consumer's Edge page.

Naturally, mine focus on topics such as saving money, using coupons, budgeting, banking, and looking at trends impacting consumers.  My favorite graphics that I have come across provide an interactive dashboard view of a particular topic. Given that tax season is upon us, the interactive tax bracket infographc is particularly useful. 

Check your US tax rate for 2012 and every year since 1913 infographic

National Consumer Protection Week

From March 7-13, the Federal Trade Commission is sponsoring National Consumer Protection Week.  Without completely re-hashing what their website has to say about it, it's a week of educational events geared at teaching consumers of all ages and stages about financial decision making vital to anyone's future. 


Check out their website to see what events are happening near you.  Even if there aren't, the site is an excellent resource for consumer info available from the Federal government and non-profits.  I think we can all agree, a bit more education on consumer-related issues, such as responsible lending and borrowing, would have served the country well before the 2008 economic slide.  It might have even prevented some of the current problems we have.

How To Get Free Financial Advice From the U.S. Government

While that headline might sound like a bit of an oxymoron in the wake of unprecedented Federal debt levels, the USG has been trying to stimulate your wallet long before enacting the Economic Stimulus package. You might not have realized the wealth of information that is available for consumers that can help you save money, eat better, and obtain assistance with a myriad of financial issues. For starters, the My Money.gov site, sponsored by the U.S. Financial Literacy and Education Commission, aims to "improv[e] the financial literacy and education of persons in the United States."  Financial education and literacy is something that needs to be introduced as early as possible in the primary school years (my opinion).  It might have helped to prevent some of our economic crisis from occurring at the moment (my opinion).

In addition, each year, the General Services Administration (GSA) publishes the Consumer Handbook, with a similar aim. You can order a hard copy for free from GSA, along with other publications, or download one at Consumer Action.gov  The guide is easy (and I think fun) to read and pretty helpful when it comes to learning the basics about buying a home, shopping online, and obtaining a free credit report (hint: annualcreditreport.com is the only Government-approved free site, the others will charge you). Other helpful sections include templates for writing complaint letters.  It's definitely worth a read through.

How To Research Taxi Cab Fares

Before you head to the airport, out to the club, or anywhere you need to go, check out how much you are going to likely pay for your cab.  This site allows you to guestimate what a fare might cost.  Very handy.  Use this in conjunction with your local major metropolitan area transportation network's website to see if it makes sense to wait for the next bus, or pony up and share a cab with a friend.


World Taxi Cab Fare Meter


Since I am all about teaching, think about whether or not you will need to hit an expensive ATM first in order to pay for your taxi cab.  Plan accordingly so you don't have to pay an extra fee for the privilege of riding a cab.  Bonus tip, see if they take credit cards, which again, provide innumerable advantages 1) convenience; 2) ability to easily track where you money is being spent; 3) give you cash back/points.

New Feature--Your consumer help questions answered

One of the things that I love to do besides finding creative ways to save money is to help others. If you have a question, write me at theconsumersedge@gmail.com with yours and I will post it, along with my response, on the blog.