What to do after a car accident in Turkey

What should you do at the scene of a car accident in Turkey?

Safety and medical care come first. Turn on hazard lights, move to a safe position only if necessary to prevent another collision, and call 112 for ambulance, fire or police assistance. Tell the operator the road, direction, nearest landmark and number of injured people. Do not delay emergency treatment to collect photographs or discuss fault.

Highway Traffic Law Article 81 requires people involved in a road accident to stop safely, take traffic-safety measures, preserve useful evidence and tell the competent officers. Drivers must exchange identity, address, driving and registration details and the insurance policy information when requested. If police or gendarmerie attend, wait for their instructions and keep the report reference.

Use this scene checklist:

1. Photograph the vehicles, number plates, road position, signs, damage, debris, lighting and weather from a safe distance.
2. Ask witnesses for names and contact details; record what they saw without asking them to adopt a particular version.
3. Obtain medical assessment even when pain appears later. Tell the doctor how the collision happened and keep discharge notes, prescriptions and referrals.
4. Record the other driver’s identity, vehicle owner, insurer, policy number and contact details, but do not sign a statement you cannot read or understand.
5. Notify the rental company, travel insurer and your own insurer according to the policy, while keeping copies and proof of each notification.

An apology at the roadside is not a substitute for a liability assessment. Avoid admitting fault, accepting cash in full settlement or allowing a damaged vehicle to be repaired before its condition is documented.

When can you use the Turkish accident report form?

For a property-damage-only collision, the people involved may record the facts in a joint written form when all agree that an official officer need not attend. This is commonly called a maddi hasarlı trafik kazası tespit tutanağı. Each driver should check the sketch, vehicle details, damage description and signatures before retaining a copy and sending it to the relevant insurer.

Do not use a joint form as a shortcut where anyone is injured or dead, the drivers disagree, the other vehicle leaves, identity or insurance is uncertain, or the circumstances may involve an offence. Article 81 requires reporting and preserving the scene in injury, death and other circumstances. Call 112, request police or gendarmerie attendance and follow the authority’s instructions.

A report records evidence; it does not decide every question of fault or compensation. Keep the original photographs, witness details and medical records even when the form appears to show a clear account.

What should rental-car drivers and passengers know?

A rental agreement normally identifies the vehicle owner, user, authorised drivers, insurance and the driver’s financial responsibility. Read it before driving and keep a copy in the vehicle or phone. Compulsory motor-liability insurance addresses legally covered third-party responsibility; collision-damage cover, excess protection, roadside assistance and personal travel insurance may address different losses.

After a crash, notify the rental company using its emergency number and ask which insurer should receive the accident report. Do not agree to a repair, vehicle return, payment or release until the company explains the effect on the claim. Obtain the vehicle inspection, recovery invoice, policy wording, claim number and any photographs made by the company.

A foreign driving licence may be accepted in one situation but not another. Nationality, licence format, length of stay, residence status, translation, international-permit rules and the rental contract can matter. Confirm the current requirements before driving rather than relying on a website or a previous trip. The Turkish laws for tourists guide covers wider visitor obligations.

Who pays compensation after a road collision?

The potential defendants or payers can include the driver, vehicle operator, owner, employer, compulsory motor-liability insurer and, in a qualifying uninsured or unidentified-vehicle case, Güvence Hesabı. A passenger, pedestrian or cyclist may have a claim even if they were not driving. The route depends on injury, property damage, fault, policy, vehicle status and the evidence.

Under Turkish Code of Obligations Articles 49 and 53 to 56, bodily injury may involve treatment costs, lost earnings, reduced or lost working capacity, economic-future losses and moral damages. A death can involve funeral costs, certain losses before death, loss of support and moral damages for close relatives. A compensation amount is calculated from the facts and records, not from a standard online figure.

The accident and injury claims service explains how Av. Yanatma can assess a foreign claimant’s evidence, insurer route and related criminal file.

How do you claim against a Turkish motor insurer?

Highway Traffic Law Article 97 requires an injured person to make a written application to the relevant insurer before suing within the limits of compulsory motor-liability insurance. The insurer has up to 15 days from the application to answer in writing. If there is no answer or the response does not meet the claim, the injured person may consider a court action or insurance arbitration route under the applicable legislation.

A useful application pack normally includes the accident report or official record, identity and contact details, policy information, medical records, invoices, work and earnings evidence, photographs, witness details and bank or payment information requested by the insurer. The exact document list can vary. Send the application in a traceable form and keep the text, attachments, delivery proof and insurer response.

Article 109 generally provides two years from learning the damage and the person liable, and an absolute ten years from the accident for motor-vehicle material-damage compensation claims. If the conduct is also a crime and the Penal Code gives a longer limitation period, Article 109 refers to that longer period for material compensation. Injury, death, contract and insurance questions may add different rules, so urgent advice matters.

What happens if the vehicle was uninsured or cannot be identified?

Güvence Hesabı may be relevant for bodily injury or death caused by an uninsured or unidentified vehicle, and for other statutory categories such as certain stolen, seized or failed-insurer situations. It is not an automatic payer for every collision. Vehicle identity, the type of loss, policy status, evidence and statutory conditions must be checked before an application is prepared.

Keep the official record showing that the vehicle was uninsured, unidentified or otherwise within the relevant category. A partial plate, witness account, emergency call record, medical file and scene photographs may become important. Do not wait for the vehicle to be found before preserving your own evidence or checking the limitation position.

What is the drink-driving limit in Turkey?

Article 48 prohibits driving after alcohol or drugs and requires testing in an injury, fatal or police-attended property-damage crash. The current statutory administrative threshold is above 0.50 promille for a private automobile and 0.21 promille for vehicles other than private automobiles. For a crash caused by an allegedly impaired driver, the law refers to above 0.50 promille for a private automobile and 0.20 promille for other vehicles.

A result above 1.00 promille can also engage Turkish Penal Code Article 179(3). These thresholds are not a safe amount to drink before driving. Refusing a test or disputing a technical reading can trigger a separate procedure involving medical sampling. Preserve the test record, timing, device or medical report and any challenge made at the scene.

Can an injury accident lead to criminal proceedings?

Yes. Police or gendarmerie records may be sent to the public prosecutor after an injury or fatal collision. Turkish Penal Code Article 85 concerns causing death by negligence, while Article 89 concerns negligent injury; the classification depends on the facts, medical findings, driving conduct and evidence. Drink-driving, leaving the scene and other conduct may create additional issues.

Criminal proceedings and compensation are separate. A prosecutor’s investigation may collect scene photographs, witness statements, medical reports and expert assessments, but it does not automatically compensate the injured person. A compensation application, insurer notice or civil claim must be managed on its own timetable. Do not withdraw a complaint or sign a settlement before understanding its effect on both routes.

How long does a car-accident claim take?

No single timeline applies. The practical stages are:

Stage	What usually happens
Scene and treatment	Emergency response, official record, medical examination and evidence preservation.
Insurance notice	Written application, document review and an insurer response period of up to 15 days under Article 97.
Expert assessment	Medical, accident-reconstruction, vehicle or financial evidence may be requested.
Resolution	Settlement, insurance arbitration or court proceedings, depending on the response and claim.
Limitation review	The two-year and ten-year Article 109 periods are checked against any special rule.

Medical recovery can affect an injury assessment, but waiting without recording the claim can create a deadline problem. A foreign visitor should obtain advice early, especially before returning home, because translation, power-of-attorney and medical-attendance arrangements may take time.

What should a visitor do before leaving Turkey?

Ask for the police or gendarmerie reference, medical records, prescriptions, invoices, rental documents, insurer claim number and copies of photographs. Save the original files rather than only compressed messaging-app versions. Give the lawyer and insurer a reliable address and email, and keep a chronology of every call, promise, payment and appointment.

A Turkish lawyer may continue insurer correspondence and court preparation after the client returns home. The particular step may still require a Turkish power of attorney, certified translation, notarisation, medical examination or personal attendance. Confirm those requirements before travelling, and do not treat departure as cancellation of a Turkish claim.

For a collision in or around Fethiye, including the roads serving Ölüdeniz, Hisarönü, Ovacık, Çalış, Göcek or Dalaman, contact Av. Yanatma with the report and medical chronology. The tour and activity accidents guide applies similar evidence principles when the incident involved an excursion rather than a road vehicle.