Fill Out Your Accident Report Online — Free, Digital and Legally Valid

An accident report is a standardized document used to record the facts of a traffic accident involving two or more vehicles. Its purpose is to provide insurance companies with a clear, agreed-upon account of what happened so that liability can be assessed and claims can be processed efficiently. The most widely used version is the European Accident Report, developed by the Comité Européen des Assurances (CEA), the umbrella organization of European insurance associations. The CEA form has been adopted in over 40 countries and follows an identical structure regardless of language. It captures accident details such as date, time, and location, the vehicles and drivers involved, a standardized checklist of 17 possible accident circumstances, an accident sketch, damage documentation, and the signatures of both parties. The legal basis for the accident report is not a specific law mandating its use but rather the contractual terms between policyholders and their insurers. Most motor insurance policies across Europe require the policyholder to document accidents promptly and thoroughly. The European Accident Report is the recognized standard for fulfilling that obligation.

You should fill out an accident report whenever a traffic accident results in property damage to one or more vehicles, regardless of how minor the damage appears. Small scratches and dents can conceal structural damage that only becomes apparent during professional inspection, so documenting even seemingly trivial collisions protects your insurance claim. Typical situations where an accident report is essential include rear-end collisions in traffic or at red lights, parking lot incidents such as scrapes and door dings, lane-change collisions on highways and multi-lane roads, intersection accidents involving failure to yield, and reversing accidents in tight spaces. An accident report is also critical when the other driver is a foreign national, because the standardized European form bridges language barriers and ensures both insurance companies receive identical information. The only scenario where an accident report alone is not sufficient is when people have been injured, when there is suspicion of impaired driving, or when one party leaves the scene. In those cases, you must also call the police.

The European Accident Report follows a fixed structure designed so that both parties fill out one shared form at the accident scene. The traditional paper version is a two-part form with a carbon copy: the original stays with Driver A, and the copy goes to Driver B. The form is divided into a common section at the top, where accident details like date, time, location, and witness information are recorded, and two mirrored columns, one for each vehicle. Each column captures the vehicle's license plate, make and model, the driver's personal details and license number, and the insurance company name and policy number. The core of the report is the circumstances checklist, a numbered list of 17 driving situations such as "was parked," "was pulling out of a parking space," "was changing lanes," "was reversing," and "was turning." Both drivers independently check the boxes that apply to their vehicle at the moment of collision. Below the checklist, a space is provided for a sketch showing the road layout, the position of vehicles, traffic signs, and the point of impact. Finally, both drivers mark the initial point of damage on vehicle diagrams, add any observations, and sign the form.

With unfallbericht.at you can complete the entire European Accident Report digitally on your smartphone. The process follows seven clear steps: 1. Create a free account on unfallbericht.at. Registration takes seconds and requires only an email address. 2. Start a new accident report. The app detects your GPS location automatically and pre-fills the date and time. 3. Share the report with the other driver by showing them a QR code or sending a numeric join code. They do not need to install anything. 4. Both drivers fill out the report simultaneously in real-time. Each person sees the interface in their own language — 13 languages are currently supported. 5. Record the accident circumstances using the standardized 17-point checklist and add a free-text description. Use the location-based sketch tool to draw the accident scene: the app detects your GPS location and loads a map of the nearby streets. You then place objects like cars, trucks, bikes and traffic signs on the map. 6. Document vehicle damage by marking affected areas on the vehicle diagram and attaching photos taken with your phone camera. 7. Both parties sign digitally on their smartphone screens. The app generates a standardized PDF that both drivers can download immediately and forward to their insurance companies. The entire process typically takes under ten minutes.

The traditional paper accident report has served drivers for decades, but it comes with well-known practical problems. Most drivers do not carry a blank form in their glove compartment. Even those who do often lack a pen, cannot read the other party's handwriting, or struggle with a form printed in a language they do not understand. Carbon copies smudge, rain damages the paper, and critical fields are left blank because drivers are unsure what information is needed. The digital accident report on unfallbericht.at eliminates every one of these issues. It is always available on your smartphone, so there is nothing to carry or forget. Guided input fields ensure that all required data is captured — the app will not let you skip essential sections. OCR scanning lets you photograph your driver's license and insurance card to auto-fill vehicle and policy details, reducing errors. The multilingual interface means each driver works in their native language while producing one unified report. Photos are embedded directly in the document rather than stored separately on a camera roll. And the digital PDF is instantly shareable via email, messaging apps, or cloud storage. The paper form is still valid, and no one will refuse it. But the digital version is faster, more accurate, and more convenient in every measurable way.

Yes. You can fill out a complete, legally valid European Accident Report online using unfallbericht.at. The web app runs directly in your mobile browser — no app download from any app store is required. The digital report follows the exact same structure and fields as the official CEA paper form. Insurance companies across Europe accept the generated PDF identically to a handwritten form. Both parties sign digitally on their smartphones, and those digital signatures carry the same legal weight as handwritten ones. The report can be completed collaboratively in real-time, with each driver using the interface in their preferred language.

Yes, an online accident report is legally valid. The PDF produced by unfallbericht.at conforms to the standardized form layout defined by the Comité Européen des Assurances (CEA). This is the same layout used by paper forms distributed by insurance companies throughout Europe. There is no European regulation that prescribes a specific medium for the accident report. What matters is that the report contains the required information and is signed by both parties. A digitally signed PDF meets these requirements. Insurance companies in all EU member states, as well as in Switzerland, Norway, the United Kingdom, and other participating countries, accept digital accident reports for claims processing. The digital format often speeds up claims handling because the document is legible, complete, and can be transmitted instantly.

The digital accident report on unfallbericht.at offers a range of concrete benefits that make accident documentation faster, more reliable, and less stressful: Always with you: Your smartphone is your accident report. No need to remember to carry a paper form. 13 languages: German, English, French, Italian, Spanish, Polish, Romanian, Hungarian, Slovak, Czech, Slovenian, Croatian, and Dutch. Each driver uses their own language. Real-time collaboration: Both parties fill out one shared report simultaneously on their own devices. Changes appear instantly on both screens. Location-based accident sketch: The app detects your GPS location and loads a map of the nearby streets. You position vehicles, trucks, bikes and traffic signs and add movement arrows. OCR document scanning: Photograph your driver's license or insurance card and the data fields are populated automatically. Built-in photo documentation: Take photos of damage and the accident scene directly within the report. Digital signature: Both parties sign on their smartphone touchscreen. Instant PDF generation: Download the completed, standardized PDF immediately. Free of charge: No costs, no premium tiers, no hidden fees. GDPR compliant: All data is processed and stored on European servers.