In the disorienting aftermath of a collision, most drivers find themselves ill-equipped to perform one of insurance's most foundational acts: the accurate exchange of information. A study by LexisNexis Risk Solutions reveals that seven in ten motorists lack confidence in what details to gather at the scene, a gap that quietly ripples through the entire claims system — slowing decisions, inflating costs, and exposing the fragility of a process long assumed to be routine. The findings arrive at a moment when the vehicles themselves are growing more complex, stretching repair timelines and testin
Only 30% of drivers confident exchanging crash details, LexisNexis study finds
Only three in ten drivers feel confident they know what to exchange
Mark
So the study is saying most drivers don't know what to do when they hit another car. What exactly are they missing?
Mimi
They're not sure what information to collect. The other driver's name, address, phone number, insurance details, policy number, registration. When you're stressed, those details slip away.
Luke
But how does LexisNexis know what drivers "know" versus what they'd actually do in the moment? Confidence in a survey and confidence under pressure are different things.
Mimi
Fair point. The study asked what drivers felt confident about, not what they'd actually manage. But the result—missing or wrong third-party details at first notice of loss—that's real. Insurers see it all the time.
Mark
And that slowness costs money?
Mimi
Yes. Missing details delay liability decisions, delay contact between insurers, add handling costs. It backs up the whole process.
Luke
The age finding is interesting though. Why would 18-to-24-year-olds be less confident? Are they less experienced, or is the study capturing something else?
Mimi
Probably experience. Older drivers have been through accidents before. Younger drivers haven't. But the study doesn't break that down.
Mark
And then there's the repair problem. Drivers don't want to wait for complex fixes.
Mimi
Right. Only 13% are completely comfortable with longer repair times because of technology. More than half won't accept it as inevitable.
Luke
But is that a real problem or a perception problem? Are repair times actually getting longer, or do drivers just expect instant service?
Mimi
Both, probably. The ABI data shows claims are up and average claim value is up. That suggests repairs are genuinely more complex and expensive. But yes, customer expectations may not match reality.
Mark
So what can brokers actually do about this?
Mimi
Give young drivers a checklist before they need it. Explain repair delays when they happen. Check if the policy covers a courtesy car. Set expectations early.
Il Polso
- Only 30% of drivers feel genuinely prepared to exchange the right information after a crash, leaving the majority vulnerable to stress-induced errors at the worst possible moment.
- Incomplete or incorrect third-party details flooding into insurers at first notice of loss are creating a bottleneck — stalling liability decisions and driving up the cost of every affected claim.
- Young drivers aged 18 to 24 are the least confident of all, making them both the most at-risk group and the most obvious target for proactive broker intervention.
- A separate but compounding frustration is emerging around repair times: over half of drivers refuse to accept that modern vehicle technology — sensors, cameras, driver assistance systems — simply takes longer and costs more to fix.
- With the Association of British Insurers recording a record £3.2 billion in motor claims in a single quarter and average payouts rising, the pressure on brokers to manage both data quality and client expectations has never been greater.
- Practical tools — scene-collection checklists, courtesy car policy checks, early conversations about repair complexity — are emerging as the broker's most immediate line of defence against dissatisfaction and dispute.
In the disorienting aftermath of a collision, most drivers find themselves ill-equipped to perform one of insurance's most foundational acts: the accurate exchange of information. A study by LexisNexis Risk Solutions reveals that seven in ten motorists lack confidence in what details to gather at the scene, a gap that quietly ripples through the entire claims system — slowing decisions, inflating costs, and exposing the fragility of a process long assumed to be routine. The findings arrive at a moment when the vehicles themselves are growing more complex, stretching repair timelines and testing the patience of a driving public that has not yet adjusted its expectations to match the technology it now operates.
When two cars collide, the seconds that follow carry consequences far beyond the immediate shock. A study from LexisNexis Risk Solutions has found that only three in ten drivers feel genuinely confident they know what information to exchange at the scene. The remaining seven in ten either doubt their knowledge or fear that the stress of the moment will cause them to forget or misrecord something critical.
Those errors do not stay at the roadside. When claims arrive at first notice of loss, missing phone numbers, wrong addresses, and garbled policy numbers slow everything down — delaying liability decisions, postponing contact between insurers, and adding cost to an already strained system. LexisNexis, which sells tools to verify third-party details at that critical first moment, framed the issue in human terms: a collision is stressful, and reducing pressure on customers right after one matters.
Age is a clear dividing line. Drivers aged 18 to 24 reported the lowest confidence, while those 65 and older felt most assured. For brokers, this suggests a straightforward intervention — a simple checklist covering the other driver's name, insurer, policy number, registration, and photographs, kept in the glove compartment or saved on a phone before it is ever needed.
The research also uncovered a second, compounding problem: driver impatience with modern repair times. Just 13% of drivers said they were fully comfortable accepting longer waits because of vehicle technology complexity, while more than half refused to see delays as an inevitable feature of owning a sophisticated car. Drivers aged 25 to 44 were the least tolerant. This frustration is arriving precisely as repair complexity accelerates — the Association of British Insurers recorded a record £3.2 billion in motor claims in a single quarter, with average payouts rising 4% to £4,900.
For brokers, both findings point toward practical work at the point of sale and throughout the claims process. A conversation before an accident about what to do at the scene can prevent disputes later. A conversation during a claim — explaining why sensors need recalibration and cameras need alignment — can prevent frustration from hardening into complaint. As vehicles grow more technologically dense, managing expectations early may prove to be one of the most valuable services a broker can offer.
When a car hits another car, the first moments matter enormously. Two drivers stand in the road, adrenaline high, trying to remember what information they're supposed to exchange. A new study from LexisNexis Risk Solutions suggests most of them will get it wrong—or forget something crucial. Only three in ten drivers say they feel genuinely confident they know exactly what contact and insurance details to swap after a collision. The other seven in ten either doubt themselves or worry that the shock of the moment will make them blank on what to ask for or write down.
This uncertainty creates a real problem for the insurance system. When claims arrive at first notice of loss—the moment a driver first reports an accident to their insurer—the third-party details are often incomplete or simply wrong. A missing phone number, a misremembered address, an insurance policy number that got scribbled incorrectly. These gaps slow everything down. They delay liability decisions. They postpone contact between insurers. They add cost to handling the claim. Carla McDonald, who directs product management at LexisNexis Risk Solutions, framed it plainly: a collision is stressful, and using validated data to reduce pressure on customers right after an accident matters. The company, unsurprisingly, sells tools designed to fill in and verify third-party and vehicle details at that critical first moment.
Age shapes confidence sharply. Drivers aged 18 to 24 reported the lowest confidence levels. Those 65 and older felt most assured they'd handle the exchange correctly. For brokers and insurers, this points to an obvious intervention: young drivers, who are least sure of themselves, are the natural place to start offering practical help. A simple checklist—the other driver's name, address, phone number, insurer, policy number, registration, plus photos and witness details—can be handed to clients before they ever need it, sitting in the glove compartment or on a phone screen.
But the data quality problem at first notice of loss is only half the story the research uncovered. The other half concerns what happens after the claim is accepted: the repair itself. Modern cars are complicated. They have sensors, cameras, driver assistance systems, batteries. These components take time to fix and cost money to replace. Yet drivers have shown little patience for that reality. Just 13% said they were completely comfortable accepting longer repair times because of vehicle technology. More than half—53%—said they were unwilling to accept delays as an inevitable part of owning a more complex car. Drivers aged 25 to 44 were the least tolerant of all.
This expectation gap is widening at exactly the moment when repair complexity is accelerating. The Association of British Insurers reported a record £3.2 billion in motor claims in the second quarter of this year, with the average claim rising 4% to £4,900. Repair shops are struggling. Sensors need recalibration. Cameras need alignment. Batteries need specialized handling. The work takes longer and costs more than it did five years ago.
For brokers, both findings point to practical work they can do at the point of sale and when claims happen. On the front end, a conversation about what to do at the scene—what details matter, how to photograph the damage, whether to get witness names—can prevent disputes and speed resolution later. On the back end, when a client calls frustrated that their car is still in the garage two weeks after the accident, a broker can explain why modern vehicles demand more time. They can check whether the policy includes a courtesy car and for how long. They can set expectations before frustration hardens into a complaint. As more drivers buy vehicles loaded with technology, managing those expectations early may be the difference between a satisfied customer and a dissatisfied one.
Citazioni salienti
A collision is a stressful situation, so using validated data to ease pressure on customers straight after an accident is an important step forward.— Carla McDonald, director of product management at LexisNexis Risk Solutions
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