Accident recovery in Central London.

Red routes, bus lanes, loading restrictions, cycle lanes and camera enforcement cover most of the centre. A damaged vehicle left where it stopped is very often in a place where standing is not permitted at any time, and the penalties begin accruing straight away.

That makes prompt recovery worth more here than almost anywhere else, and it makes the choice of where a recovery vehicle can legally and safely stand part of the job rather than an afterthought.

Some streets and junctions are restricted to buses and cycles at certain times, and parts of the centre are pedestrianised. If your vehicle is inside one of those, tell us — it changes the approach entirely.

The centre has a very high density of motorcycles, scooters and delivery riders, and a correspondingly high share of incidents involving them. A rider who has come off is in a different situation from a driver in a damaged car: injury is far more likely, and the machine is usually blocking something.

Deal with the person first. Get medical attention, and call 999 if anyone is hurt — adrenaline hides motorcycle injuries very effectively for the first hour or two.

For the machine, a van or enclosed transport is almost always the right answer in the centre, both because of the space and because a bike should not be strapped to an open bed badly to save time.

The Congestion Charge and ULEZ both apply across the centre, and they apply to recovery vehicles as much as to anyone else. It is worth being aware of as a cost consideration; it is not a reason to leave a damaged vehicle where it is.

If your own vehicle is undriveable inside the zone, that is another argument for moving it promptly rather than letting it sit while charges and penalties accumulate around it.

Almost nobody in the centre has off-street parking to put a damaged car on while they wait for an assessor. Leaving it on a Central London street is not a neutral option — it is exposed, it is enforced against, and it is in everyone's way.

Getting it into secure storage stops that, keeps the vehicle intact and available for inspection, and means the assessment and any repair can be coordinated by the same team.