What To Do After a Car Accident in Brampton: Safety, Reporting, Towing and Insurance
What to do in the first hour after a Brampton collision: staying safe, reporting it, who tows your car, and your insurance claim.
Reviewed September 2026 against current Ontario government, FSRA and Peel Regional Police guidance.
The First Few Minutes
Step 1: Check for Injuries
Check yourself and your passengers first. If anyone is hurt, call 911 immediately. Do not move an injured person unless they are in immediate danger.
Step 2: Move to Safety
If no one is injured and the vehicles can be driven, Ontario generally expects you to move them out of traffic. Turn on your hazard lights. On a highway, stay buckled in with the doors closed if you can't get completely off the road.
Step 3: Document the Scene
Reporting the Collision
The legal requirement and the local procedure are two different things.
Ontario's legal requirement
Ontario's Highway Traffic Act requires a collision to be reported to police when anyone is injured, when combined damage to the vehicles and property exceeds $2,000, or when there is damage to highway property.
Peel Regional Police procedure
In Brampton and Mississauga, Peel Regional Police currently direct drivers as follows:
Peel lists its Collision Reporting Centre locations and hours on its collision reporting page. Check it before you go: centre locations, hours and procedures can change. If your vehicle can't be driven, a tow operator can take it to the centre for you.
Who Tows Your Car
Towing is governed by Ontario's Towing and Storage Safety and Enforcement Act, 2021 (TSSEA). Outside the province's restricted highway tow zones, you choose which company tows your vehicle and where it goes, and an operator needs your consent before towing. When asking for consent they must disclose their maximum rate schedule. See Ontario: know your rights when getting a tow.
On some GTA highways the rules are different. Sections of Highways 400, 401, 403, 404, 409, 410 and 427 and the QEW are in Ontario's Tow Zone Program. In those zones only the ministry's contracted operator can tow you off the highway. Once your vehicle is outside the zone you can choose the next tow company and destination, unless police direct otherwise.
Tow trucks that arrive uninvited are not entitled to your car. Outside a tow zone you can say clearly: "I've already arranged my own tow."
Your Insurance Claim
Repairs and rentals are an insurance matter, separate from towing. FSRA, Ontario's insurance regulator, states that as long as your insurance company approves the estimate, you may have your vehicle repaired at the shop of your choice, and that you have the right to choose a repair shop, tow operator or vehicle rental company. See FSRA: after an accident — understanding the claims process.
What your insurer pays for — towing, storage, repairs, a rental — depends on your policy and the circumstances of the claim. Read your policy or ask your insurer or broker before you assume something is covered.
Where Pixel Towing Fits In
If you call us, we can tow your vehicle (outside the tow zones), take it to a Collision Reporting Centre if it can't be driven there, and deliver it to the repair shop you choose. We also offer collision repair and rental vehicles through businesses we have an interest in — we tell you that up front, and you are free to use any shop or rental company you prefer.
This article is general information, not legal or insurance advice.
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