What to Do After a Car Accident in Edmonton

A step-by-step collision guide for drivers in Edmonton and area. Save it to your phone, or print the one-page checklist for your glovebox.
Call Dispatch
Download the Checklist (PDF)

Anyone Hurt, a Fire, or a Driver Who Seems Impaired? Call 911 First.

Take a breath and work down the list. You don’t have to remember it all; that’s what this page is for.

Need a tow once everyone is safe? Call Tuber dispatch at 587-598-8237. Tell us where you are, what you drive and where you’d like it to go.

At the Scene

1. Stop and Turn On Your Hazard Lights

Alberta law says every driver in a collision must stop, stay at the scene and give reasonable help.

2. Make It Safe

  • Can you drive it, is nobody seriously hurt, and is it safe to move? Move your vehicle to the side of the road, out of traffic.
  • Is someone seriously hurt, or do you think a driver is impaired? Leave the vehicles where they are for police.
  • Vehicle can’t be moved? Keep your hazards on. Set out cones, warning triangles or flares if you have them.
  • Get everyone to safety. If nobody is seriously hurt, get everyone out and to a safe spot away from traffic. If there’s nowhere safe to stand, stay inside with your seatbelt on.
  • Don’t move anyone who’s injured. Wait for paramedics.

3. Call 911 If It's an Emergency

Call 911 if:

  • anyone is seriously hurt;
  • there’s a fire, smoke or leaking fuel (an electric vehicle that’s hissing, popping or smoking counts: get everyone well away);
  • you think a driver is impaired, or a crime is happening;
  • the crash has left a dangerous hazard on the road.

Not an emergency, but you need police now? For example, a driver won’t give you their information. Call the non-emergency line:

  • Edmonton Police: 780-423-4567, or #377 from a mobile.
  • RCMP areas (Spruce Grove, Stony Plain, Parkland County, Sherwood Park, St. Albert, Leduc and most of rural Alberta): 310-RCMP (310-7267).

4. Swap Information

Alberta law says each driver must give the others this information in writing, if asked:

  • name and address;
  • driver’s licence number;
  • the registered owner’s name and address;
  • licence plate number;
  • proof of insurance.

Also write down: the other insurer and policy number; the year, make, model and colour of each vehicle; witnesses’ names and phone numbers; the date, time and exact location.

If police come: note the officer’s name, badge number and file number.

Someone won’t share? Before they leave, write down their plate, a description of the vehicle and a description of the driver. Then call police.

Hit a parked car? Find the owner, or leave a note where they’ll see it with your name and address, your driver’s licence number and your plate number.

Hit property, such as a fence? Take reasonable steps to tell the owner. If it’s public property or a traffic sign or signal, report it to police right away, even if the damage is small.

5. Take Photos

  • Every vehicle, all four sides, plus close-ups of the damage.
  • Licence plates.
  • The scene: lanes, signs, signals, skid marks, weather and lighting.
  • The other driver’s licence, registration and insurance card, if they agree.
  • Dashcam video. Save it before it records over.

6. Leave Fault Out of It

  • Don’t argue about who caused it.
  • Don’t take the blame.
  • Don’t sign any statements.
  • Don’t pay anyone or make promises at the scene.

Police don’t decide fault; insurers do, using Alberta’s fault rules. Being kind is fine. Leave the question of fault for the insurers.

After You Leave the Scene

7. Report It to Police, If You Need To

You must report a collision to police if:

  • anyone is hurt (even a minor injury) or killed; or
  • the damage to all vehicles and property adds up to $5,000 or more. That’s the 2026 amount, and Alberta reviews it every year.

Repairs on newer vehicles add up fast, so if you’re not sure, report it. Report as soon as you can, and keep the police file number for your insurer.

Where to report:

  • Edmonton: at a Collision Reporting Centre (Edmonton Police front counters no longer take collision reports). North: 15750 116 Ave NW, 780-452-1531. South: 5805 87A St NW, 587-758-9427. Monday to Saturday 8 am to 8 pm, Sunday 10 am to 6 pm, closed on stat holidays. You can start the report online, then visit a centre within 24 hours to finish it. Call 780-423-4567 instead if someone went to hospital, a pedestrian or cyclist was hurt, a driver refused to give information, dangerous goods or a vehicle over 4,500 kg was involved, the road is blocked or dangerous, or public, private or highway property was damaged.
  • Spruce Grove, Stony Plain and Parkland County (including Acheson): in person at the Spruce Grove Collision Reporting Centre, 36 Fifth Avenue (Protective Services Building), weekdays 8:30 am to 4:30 pm. Report at the centre closest to where the collision happened.
  • Sherwood Park and Strathcona County: in person at the RCMP detachment, 911 Bison Way. Single-vehicle collisions can be reported online.
  • St. Albert: St. Albert RCMP, 96 Bellerose Drive, 780-458-7700, or by the emailed form on the City of St. Albert’s website.
  • Leduc: the Collision Reporting Centre at the Leduc RCMP detachment.
  • Elsewhere in Alberta: call 310-RCMP (310-7267) or your local police.

Some single-vehicle collisions can be reported online through Alberta’s Report My Collision service. Check whether your area is listed.

8. Get Your Vehicle Towed, Your Way

If you can drive it: you can leave once you’ve swapped information and police don’t need you there.

If you can’t drive it: Alberta law says the owner or driver must arrange right away to get it off the road. If you don’t, police can arrange the tow and treat the vehicle as abandoned.

You choose the tow company. In Alberta you can choose your tow company and where your vehicle goes, even if your insurer has given you an adjuster. The exception is a tow directed by police, for example when a vehicle is blocking traffic, is a hazard, or is being held. Police then choose the company and where it goes. In Edmonton, most police-directed tows go to the Edmonton Police vehicle impound at 12230 124 Avenue.

A tow truck you didn’t call. Alberta rules say a tow truck must not stop within 200 m of a crash unless police, emergency crews, or a driver or owner asked it to. Trucks working under a government contract are an exception. If a truck shows up that you didn’t call and police didn’t send, ask who sent it. You don’t have to use it.

Your rights when you arrange a tow (Alberta’s towing rules, since April 1, 2026):

  • The tow company needs your consent before it hooks up your vehicle.
  • It must give you an estimate you can keep before it hooks up. The estimate shows the total towing cost and any storage rates.
  • The final bill can’t be more than 10% over the estimate (up to $100), unless you agree first or ask for extra work.
  • You get an itemized invoice before you pay.
  • The company must tell you where your vehicle is.
  • You can get your belongings out and look the vehicle over during business hours, at no charge.

These rules don’t cover tows directed by police. Complaints go to Alberta’s Consumer Contact Centre, 1-877-427-4088.

Before anyone hooks up, ask: Who sent you? What’s the estimate? Where is my vehicle going (your shop, your home or a storage yard)? What does storage cost per day? Write down the company, the driver’s name, the truck number and the drop-off address.

Need a tow? Call Tuber dispatch at 587-598-8237. Tell us where you are, what you drive and where you’d like it to go.

Damaged EV? Tell dispatch. Our drivers have completed NFPA’s EV Safety training, and damaged EVs are kept in a concrete-walled bay in our yard. More on EV towing.

AMA or CAA member? Tuber Towing is an authorized AMA/CAA contractor. Members request service through AMA’s call centre or app.

Call Dispatch

9. Call Your Insurance Company

  • Call as soon as you can, whoever was at fault. If you call, follow up in writing.
  • Tell them everything: about any injuries, the damage, and where your vehicle is. Storage is often charged by the day.
  • Your vehicle damage (DCPD). Under Alberta’s Direct Compensation for Property Damage, your own insurer pays for your vehicle damage for the part you weren’t at fault for, as long as the other vehicle is identified and insured. Any part you were at fault for falls under your collision coverage, if you have it.
  • You can choose your own repair shop.

10. If You Were Hurt

  • See a doctor or other health care provider, even if it seems minor.
  • Tell your insurer about any injury right away. Injury claims have short deadlines.
  • Collisions on or after January 1, 2027 fall under Alberta’s new Care-First auto insurance, which pays injury treatment and benefits through insurers. Ask your insurer which rules apply to you.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to report a car accident to police in Alberta?

Yes, if anyone is hurt or killed, or if the damage to all vehicles and property adds up to $5,000 or more (the 2026 amount). Report it as soon as you can: in Edmonton, at a Collision Reporting Centre; in Spruce Grove, Stony Plain and Parkland County, at the Spruce Grove Collision Reporting Centre; elsewhere, through your local RCMP detachment. Keep the file number for your insurer.

At one of the two Collision Reporting Centres: North, 15750 116 Ave NW (780-452-1531); South, 5805 87A St NW (587-758-9427). Both are open Monday to Saturday 8 am to 8 pm and Sunday 10 am to 6 pm, and are closed on stat holidays. You can start the report online, then finish it at a centre within 24 hours. If someone went to hospital or the road is blocked, call Edmonton Police at 780-423-4567 instead.

Yes. In Alberta you can choose your tow company and where your vehicle goes, even if you have an insurance adjuster. The exception is a tow directed by police, for example when a vehicle is blocking traffic or is being held. A tow truck you didn’t call isn’t allowed to stop within 200 m of a crash unless police, emergency crews or a driver asked it to.

Since April 1, 2026, Alberta’s Vehicle Towing and Storage Regulation gives you these protections: the company needs your consent, and must give you an estimate you can keep before it hooks up your vehicle, including any storage rates; the final bill can’t be more than 10% over the estimate (up to $100) unless you agree; you get an itemized invoice before you pay; and you can get your belongings out at no charge during business hours. Tows directed by police are exempt.

Yes. Tell your insurer as soon as you can, whoever was at fault. Under Alberta’s Direct Compensation for Property Damage rules, your own insurer handles your vehicle damage for the part you weren’t at fault for, as long as the other vehicle is identified and insured. Insurers decide fault, not police.