Traffic Accident in China: What Foreign Drivers Should Do

After a traffic accident in China, stop immediately, warn approaching traffic, check for injuries and secondary-collision risk, and call 120 for urgent medical help or 122 for traffic police when needed. Preserve the scene unless safety, law, or police instructions require movement; record the vehicles, road, damage, and witnesses, exchange identity, driving, vehicle, and insurance information, then notify the rental company and insurer promptly.［1］［2］［3］［4］

Key Takeaways

• Stop, switch on hazard warnings, and protect people before discussing damage.
• Call 120 for medical emergency help and 122 for traffic-police handling when required.
• Do not move vehicles casually; follow safety needs, the law, and police instructions.
• Record the whole scene before close-up damage whenever it is safe.
• Exchange identity, driving qualification, vehicle, owner, and insurance information.
• Notify the rental company and insurer without waiting for a private settlement discussion.

The China travel pillar covers trip preparation. Before driving, confirm your lawful qualification through the temporary driving-permit guide and the separate foreign-license rental-car guide.

1. What should you do in the first minutes after a traffic accident in China?

Stop immediately and do not leave the scene. Switch on hazard lights, turn off the engine when appropriate, and assess fire, fuel, traffic, weather, slope, and visibility risks. Place a warning device only if you can do so without walking into moving traffic; move yourself and passengers behind a barrier or to another safer position when remaining in the carriageway creates immediate danger.

Check whether anyone is injured, trapped, confused, bleeding, unable to move, or at risk from traffic. Call 120 for urgent medical assistance and 122 for traffic police as the situation requires. China's official emergency-number information identifies 120 for medical emergency service, while traffic-accident handling uses the traffic-police route.［4］ Do not move an injured person unless staying creates a greater immediate danger or emergency professionals instruct you.

Give the location in a form responders can use: road name, direction, nearest junction, kilometer marker, bridge, tunnel, service area, building, or map pin. The China emergency-numbers guide helps separate police, fire, ambulance, and traffic functions.

2. Should the vehicles stay in place or be moved?

The answer depends on injuries, danger, disputed facts, road obstruction, local fast-handling eligibility, and police direction. China's Road Traffic Safety Law requires a driver involved in an accident to stop immediately and protect the scene; where personal injury or death occurs, the driver must rescue the injured and promptly report to traffic police or public-security traffic management.［1］

Do not treat “move to avoid congestion” as a universal instruction. With injury, suspected impairment, severe damage, hazardous cargo, fire, disputed identity, a vehicle that cannot move safely, or uncertainty about the scene, call police and follow instructions. If remaining creates a secondary-crash risk, prioritize life safety and tell the dispatcher what you changed and why.

Only describe self-negotiation or moving after documentation when nobody is injured, the facts are clear and undisputed, the vehicles can move safely, and the case meets the current local fast-handling conditions. Beijing's 2026 guidance is a useful current city example, not a nationwide rule for every province or platform.［3］ Do not assume a workflow in the 交管12123 app is available or sufficient everywhere.

Situation	Safer default
Injury, death, fire, entrapment, or immediate danger	Call emergency services; protect life and follow instructions
Facts or responsibility disputed	Preserve scene, call traffic police, avoid private conclusion
Serious damage or unsafe vehicle	Do not drive it; ask police, rental firm, and insurer
Minor damage, no injury, facts agreed	Document first, then use eligible local procedure
Scene creates secondary-collision risk	Warn traffic and follow dispatcher/police safety direction
Foreign driver cannot understand the process	Request an interpreter or trusted assistance without signing blindly

3. What evidence should you record at the scene?

When it is safe, start with wide photographs or video showing all vehicles, lane positions, road direction, signals, signs, markings, obstacles, weather, lighting, skid or debris, and nearby landmarks. Then capture each vehicle's plate, make, visible damage, wheel position, and points of contact. Do not stand in a traffic lane for a better photograph.

Record the time, precise place, direction of travel, estimated sequence, and what each person directly observed. Obtain witness names and contact details with consent. Save dashcam clips before they loop over, but do not edit the original or post the footage publicly while identity, medical, or legal issues are unresolved.

Photograph documents only as necessary and protect them from unrelated disclosure. Preserve call logs, tow records, repair instructions, medical records, receipts, rental messages, and insurer case numbers. A translated summary is useful, but keep the original Chinese documents and original media as the evidence source.

4. Which information should drivers exchange?

Exchange names, usable contact details, identity information required by the process, driving qualification, vehicle registration and owner details, plate number, insurance provider and policy or claim information, and rental-company details where applicable. Confirm whether the person driving is the registered owner, an authorized renter, an employee, or another permitted driver.

Do not surrender your passport, permit, phone, or original rental documents to the other party as “security.” Show required documents to police and provide appropriate information through the lawful process. Do not photograph unrelated pages, bank cards, passwords, or one-time codes.

If language is a problem, ask traffic police, the rental company, insurer, hotel, employer, or another trusted channel for interpretation. An interpreter helps communication but does not decide legal responsibility. Repeat key facts—injury status, vehicle location, requested movement, document handed over, and next appointment—in both languages where possible.

5. What should you say, sign, or pay at the scene?

Describe observable facts without making an improvised legal admission. Saying “I entered the junction on green” or “my vehicle contacted the rear door” is different from accepting all legal and financial responsibility before evidence and applicable rules are assessed. Be truthful and cooperative, but do not guess speed, distance, injury severity, or fault.

Do not sign a document you cannot read. Ask for time to translate it, identify who issued it, and keep a complete copy. Never sign a blank form or a page with missing amounts, parties, vehicle details, or attachments. Police findings, an insurer's coverage decision, a rental contract charge, and a civil settlement are separate layers and may not use identical conclusions.

Avoid an undocumented cash settlement, especially where there is injury, disputed facts, rental property, third-party damage, or possible later medical symptoms. A seemingly minor impact can create delayed claims or hidden vehicle damage. If a lawful local minor-accident procedure permits an agreement, record the parties, facts, amount, purpose, payment, release scope, and official or insurer requirements before treating it as final.

6. When should you notify the rental company and insurer?

Notify both as soon as immediate safety and emergency calls are handled. The rental agreement may require a specific police record, designated tow company, approved repair shop, accident form, time limit, or prohibition on private repair. The insurer may require scene photos, driver documents, vehicle registration, police materials, medical evidence, estimate, invoice, and cooperation before authorizing work.

Do not arrange towing or repair solely because a person at the scene recommends a workshop. Verify the tow operator, destination, quoted basis, custody record, and authorization with police, rental company, or insurer. Remove passports, money, devices, medication, and other valuables when safe and permitted, and photograph the vehicle before it changes custody.

Ask the rental company whether the vehicle may be driven, whether a replacement is authorized, who attends the police appointment, and how deposits or card holds are handled. Do not assume a collision-damage waiver covers every driver, road, item, fee, or breach; read the actual contract and policy rather than relying on a counter summary.

7. Which official records and follow-up documents should you keep?

Traffic-accident handling procedures distinguish scene handling, investigation, evidence, accident determination, mediation or other later processes.［2］ Ask what document is being issued, when it becomes available, how to correct factual identity errors, and whether you must attend another appointment. Do not call every paper an “accident certificate”; preserve its exact Chinese title and issuing unit.

Create one file containing the police or traffic reference, accident determination or simplified record, scene media, witness details, driver and vehicle exchange, rental report, insurer claim, tow custody, repair estimate and invoice, medical documents, translation, and payment evidence. Keep originals and unedited copies. Record every deadline and the person or organization responsible for the next step.

If you disagree with a finding or face injury, substantial loss, immigration effects, criminal allegation, or a complex uninsured claim, obtain qualified local legal advice promptly. Do not leave China or dispose of the vehicle on an assumption that an app submission, cash payment, or verbal agreement closed every layer.

Summary

• Stop, warn traffic, check injuries, and reduce secondary-collision risk.
• Call 120 or 122 as needed and give a usable location.
• Preserve the scene and move vehicles only for safety or under an eligible local process or instruction.
• Record wide scene evidence, close damage, documents, witnesses, calls, and custody changes.
• Exchange the required identity, driving, vehicle, owner, insurance, and rental details.
• Notify the rental company and insurer, then preserve the exact official determination and follow-up records.

FAQ

Must I stop after even a minor traffic accident in China?

Yes. Stop and assess safety. A minor eligible case may later be moved and handled through a local fast process, but leaving without completing the required steps can create serious problems.

Which number should I call after a crash?

Use 120 for urgent medical help and 122 for traffic-police accident handling when required. If another emergency exists, use the appropriate official emergency route.

Can I move the car to clear traffic?

Not automatically. Consider injury, danger, disputed facts, vehicle safety, local eligibility, and police instructions. Document first when safe and lawful.

Should I admit that the accident was my fault?

State truthful observable facts, but do not make an uninformed legal admission. Traffic police, insurers, rental contracts, and courts have distinct decision roles.

Can I settle in cash at the roadside?

Avoid an undocumented private settlement, especially with injury, rental cars, disputed facts, or third-party damage. Follow the applicable police, insurer, and rental requirements.

What if I cannot read the Chinese document?

Request interpretation, identify the issuer, read a reliable translation, and keep a full copy before signing. Never sign a blank or incomplete form.

Must I call the rental company for a small scratch?

Follow the rental agreement and notify the company promptly. A small visible mark can still trigger police, insurance, inspection, repair, or contract requirements.

Is 交管12123 the nationwide answer for every accident?

No. App functions, city procedures, eligibility, and evidence requirements vary. Use current local official instructions and police direction.

What if the other driver refuses to exchange details?

Do not block or confront them. From a safe position, record the plate, vehicle, location, time, and departure direction, then contact traffic police and notify the rental company and insurer.

Disclaimer: This guide provides general safety and process information, not legal, medical, insurance, or rental advice. Accident duties, fast handling, evidence, responsibility, and coverage depend on current law, locality, facts, injuries, vehicle, and contract.

Sources

1. State Council, Road Traffic Safety Law Implementing Regulations: traffic accidents (Ministry of Justice database) — https://xzfg.moj.gov.cn/front/law/detail?LawID=75
2. Ministry of Justice, Procedures for Handling Road Traffic Accidents — https://www.moj.gov.cn/pub/sfbgw/flfggz/flfggzbmgz/201709/t20170919_146045.html
3. Beijing Traffic Management Bureau, 2026 Accident-Scene Handling Guide — https://jtgl.beijing.gov.cn/jgj/qaknowledge/325750944/111255359/744062999/index.html
4. Beijing Municipal Health Commission, Rational emergency calls (120) — https://wjw.beijing.gov.cn/English/HealthServices/HealthIndications/202212/t20221230_2887819.html

Sources checked 4 September 2026.

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