5. File An Accident Report. Although law enforcement officers in many locations may not respond to accidents unless there are injuries, drivers should file a state vehicle accident report, which is available at police stations and often on the Department of Motor Vehicles Web site as a downloadable file. A police report often helps insurance companies speed up the claims process.

6. Know What Your Insurance Covers. The whole insurance process will be easier following your accident if you know the details of your coverage. For example, don't wait until after an accident to find out that your policy doesn't automatically cover costs for towing or a replacement rental car. Generally, for only a dollar or two extra each month, you can add coverage for rental car reimbursement, which provides a rental car for little or no money while your car is in the repair shop or if it is stolen. Check your policy for specifics.

Obviously, it's much easier to prevent accidents and injuries in the first place than to deal with the painful aftereffects. Here are a number of tips to help keep you safe and reduce accidents:

• Use seatbelts. While seatbelts don't prevent accidents, they greatly reduce injuries and fatalities. Of the 42,000 people killed in traffic accidents in 2001, nearly 60 percent were not using their seatbelts.
• Carefully look both ways — twice — before crossing an intersection. It's easy to miss an oncoming car at first glance because it's hidden by your car's windshield frame.
• Don't speed into an intersection the instant the light turns green. This is a good way to get rammed by someone running the red light in the other direction.
• After waiting for traffic from the left to clear before you make your right hand turn, don't forget to look to the right again just before you proceed. Pedestrians or cars may have suddenly materialized in your path while you were waiting to turn.
• Anticipate unexpected changes in traffic. For example, if you're in a fast-moving lane with empty road ahead and the next lane over is backed up, be prepared for impatient motorists to dart into the lane directly in front of you.
• Always check your blind spot before changing lanes — don't just rely on your rearview mirrors.
• Practice extra caution when passing large vehicles, such as semi trucks, which have even larger blind spots.
• Pay special attention to posted speed limits around schools and in residential areas; children and pets may unexpectedly run into the street.
• Leave enough space between yourself and the car ahead of you, when traveling and when stopped. On the highway, this may save you from a fender bender. If you stop on a hill behind a car with a manual transmission, the extra room may save you from being rammed by the car ahead of you. Also, it provides an out if you're approached by a carjacker in a dubious neighborhood.
• Don't procrastinate about performing safety maintenance and repairs on your car. Have your brakes checked and wheels aligned as soon as it's needed.
• Go to a high-performance driving school. Understanding how to make your car do what you want it to do in any situation could save your life.

The final question in dealing with an accident is usually who will pay for the damages? If the accident was minor, you and the other drivers may decide to handle the damages yourselves without the involvement of an insurance company. But this isn't always the best idea, for several reasons.

While the other driver may agree to pay for the damage to your car on the day of the accident, he may see the repair bills and decide it's too high. At this point, time has passed and your insurance company will have more difficulty piecing together the evidence if you file a claim.

Also, keep in mind that you have no way of knowing whether another driver will change his mind and report the accident to his insurance company. He may even claim injuries that weren't apparent at the scene of the accident. This means that your insurance company may end up paying him a hefty settlement, or worse yet, you could be dragged into a lawsuit. So make sure that your company has your version of what happened and check your policy — if the damages paid out by your insurance company are below a certain amount, the accident may not be considered chargeable. And you will avoid the penalty of a premium hike.

Auto accidents take a tremendous toll on everyone involved, both financially and emotionally. If you're one of the lucky ones who have thus far avoided a serious accident, hopefully the tips on prevention will help keep it that way. The chances are high, though, that at some point you will be involved in a minor accident. Just keep your head and make safety your primary concern. You'll have plenty of time to deal with the consequences later.