Dealing with the mess of a car crash
Who is responsible for cleaning up the road after a car/vehicle crash? By cleaning up, I don’t mean just towing the vehicles out of the way, but actually sweeping up the glass and any other vehicles pieces/parts etc. And I mean picking them up and properly disposing them, rather than just throwing them in the bush on the side of the road!
Auntie’s answer: Once more, I am afraid that I cannot give you a simple, one-sentence answer, and even when I am done, I think there will be a few grey areas left. But here’s what I have learned:
When looking at a post-crash cleanup, a major consideration is the type of accident that occurred. If there was a fatal or very serious crash, the RCIPS explained that the police need to step in to investigate. In that instance, they will remove the crashed cars and bring them to the police yard for all sorts of forensics tests. In addition, the police would be responsible for general cleanup of the accident site, which would mean the bits included in your question.
However, that all changes if the accident involved something hazardous, such as an oil spill. For a mess of that nature, the Petroleum Inspectorate and Department of Environmental Health would be called in.
But for non-hazardous crashes, the National Roads Authority (NRA) said its crews could also transport any debris to the NRA stockpile or the landfill.
For the majority of accidents, ranging from fender benders to everything short of those requiring police investigation (though, of course, the RCIPS will help with directing safe traffic flow and assisting those involved), the owners of the cars are responsible for towing the vehicles, most likely through their insurance company, and arranging for the street to be cleared.
Category: Ask Auntie
