In a flash, your familiar vehicle is now a spinning hunk of metal and glass while your brain fills up with liquid terror: Congratulations, you’ve just been in an accident. Here’s what to do:

• Stay put - You could be hurt. In fact, unless it’s the most inconsequential of accidents, you are hurt, so take a moment to get your wits about you. Not only will the shock and adrenaline of the accident dull any immediate pain, there may be more cars about to wildly careen into your wrecked heap—better you’re inside and belted in.

Wait for at least 60 seconds, then make sure no traffic is coming, before exiting the car. 60 seconds will seem like an eternity.

Exception: Your car is on fire, teetering on the edge of a cliff, or on fire on the edge of a cliff.

• Get out: Check on your passengers, the driver and passengers of other vehicles, but don’t touch or move anyone. Not only are you not a doctor, you don’t want to do anything that might give them an excuse to blame you for exacerbating their injuries.

That said, don’t be an asshole; If someone asks for your help then you should help them, remembering that might also include encouraging someone to stay seated while help arrives.

• Call 911: Don’t wait, even if it’s just a fender bender. Hell, if you can keep your wits about you, you could do this immediately after the crash.

• Drop flares or flashlights: If you’ve got them handy, putting down a few flares will decrease the odds that someone will absentmindedly ram into your wreckage; even a flashlight turned toward the oncoming traffic can help. But if you’re on a busy highway, just over the crest of a hill, or anywhere else dangerous, feel free to skip this step entirely—the highway patrol can take care of it when they arrive.

• Wait off the road: I thought I told you to stay in the car! Well, you thought you were too good to wait in your car while the cops came, so now you’re out there acting like a hero throwing flares around. (Admit it: You’ve been waiting for a chance to use those.)

Now that you’re walking around, you might as well get out of harm’s way. Just make sure you don’t hop over any barriers that don’t have ground on the other side, as has happened to far too many people who have accidents on overpasses. You should probably just get back in the car.

• Get the other guy’s information: Right after an accident, most people are perfectly willing to share their personal information, including their driver’s license and insurance. Take advantage of that time to write down that information or to punch it into your cell phone, because if the accident was their fault, it will only take a few minutes before they start trying to weasel their way out of responsibility. It’s a good thing you called the police as soon as you did.

Also, don’t be a jerk: Give them your license and insurance information immediately.

• But I’m drunk: Oh, good god. You deserve everything you have coming to you, then. Since you’re already a scumbag, I’m going to give you a bit of scumbag advice: In most states it’s better to have a hit-and-run than a DUI—I hope you’re faster than the cops.

Exception: If you’re in a drunken accident that involves another person you’ve just given up any chance you may have had to scam your way out of this. Time to suck it up.