Iowa drivers: Can’t live with ’em; pass the insurance card.

One Iowa driver is particularly poor. That would be the one who rear-ended me over Thanksgiving break. In St. Louis, of all places.

On my way to visit a friend who goes to St. Louis University, a guy (we’ll call him Gus) found it a bit difficult to come to a complete stop behind me. Maybe he was going too fast, or maybe his Hyundai Excel had a hard time stopping in the drizzling rain.

Whatever the case, Gus’s Black Hawk County license plate is now imprinted on my bumper.

This being my first accident ever — and since I was pretty shaken up — I was darn thankful that I remembered to get Gus’s full name, phone number and the name of his insurance agent. No problem.

But here’s the strange part: When we went to call the police, the woman who answered the phone at 911 practically laughed in our ears when we suggested an officer come out to file an accident report.

It seems that cops in St. Louis have better things to do than fill out paperwork for fender-benders. Catching murderers, perhaps? Eating donuts?

Given that this little whiplash experience is the only means of comparison I have for car mishaps, I had to wonder if what happened with me and the Gus-meister in St. Louis is typical of, say, Ames. It isn’t.

And since my three-and-a-half years here have shown me that Iowa’s weather is only going to get worse, many students may run into (heh, heh) similar problems once the snow and ice arrive.

Sergeant Jim Robinson of the Ames Police Department said that after an accident, even the tiniest fender-bender, all parties need to get to know each other well.

“First, you want to try to get as much information about the other person as possible,” Robinson said. “And call the law enforcement agency of wherever you are.” Within Ames, that’s the Ames Police Department; on campus, call the Department of Public Safety; and out in the countryside, the sheriff is your man (or woman).

He recommended against moving the vehicles, but getting them out of traffic is really a judgment call. “If it’s possible not to create a vehicle hazard, it would be nice to have the vehicles remain,” Robinson said. “It does make the investigation more accurate if the cars stay how they landed.”

However, if the battered cars are blocking traffic or otherwise causing grief for other people, Robinson said to go ahead and move them to a safe location.

He also said cops in Ames, unlike their St. Louis counterparts, make every effort to visit the scene of an accident. If the damage to the vehicles is under $500, an accident report will not be filed, but police will still respond to a call.

Even horrible Iowa weather and a tons calls about car accidents will not keep police from trying to reach the scene, even though it might take a while. “When we’ve had our blizzards in the past and all our officers are tied up, they will prioritize,” Robinson said.

The availability of the Ames Police is one thing that Pat Brown, an agent with State Farm Insurance, said she greatly appreciates. She said the most important thing to do after an accident is to notify police and tell officials your side of the story.

“The reason you call the police is to document the facts of the case so it’s not one person’s word against the other,” Brown said.

She also said that sometimes young drivers get taken advantage of when they are involved in an accident. “They’re victims from a lack of experience,” Brown said. “Often an accident reminds you that you’re very mortal.” That shakiness impairs a driver’s ability to handle an accident in the proper manner.

As well as notifying the police and exchanging information with the other driver(s), Brown recommended that you not admit liability to anyone. She also said reporting the accident to your insurance agency is a must.

To keep from having to worry about any of this stuff, Robinson offered some suggestions to prevent accidents, especially in bad weather. First and foremost, he said, drive defensively.

“Drive for yourself and the other driver,” he said. “You can’t just assume that when a light turns red that everyone is going to stop. Allow distance between yourself and other drivers.”

In fact, doing just that probably saved me from a crumpled hood. Just before Gus The Master Driver plowed into me, I took my foot off the brake. And luckily, I had left enough room between me and the car in front of me that I didn’t hit it, too, preventing a Honda sandwich.

For those little problems on highways or out in rural areas, Robinson suggested carrying some “basic survival items” with you. Items like a blanket or sleeping bag, candy bars, candles and flashlights can make all the difference on a cold day on a lonely highway while you’re waiting for the cops to arrive.

He also said a piece of modern technology can help travelers immensely. “The wisest thing anybody can do is carry a cellular phone,” he said.