If you're in an auto accident, the first thing to do is make sure you and everyone who was in the car with you is alright. Of course, you should seek medical attention immediately if anyone is injured. Once you know everyone is alright, you'll need to decide where to take your car to be repaired. Here are four questions to help you find a great auto body repair shop near you.

Can You See Cars They've Painted Recently?

If your car has been in an accident, its paint is likely chipped and scraped. Anywhere the paint has been damaged needs to be repainted, because chips and scrapes both reduce a car's value and make it prone to rust.

To assess how well an auto body repair shop will repaint your car, ask to see cars that they've recently painted. The quality of work done on these vehicles will show you what you can expect the shop to do when repainting your automobile. When assessing vehicle's' paint jobs, you'll want to do the following:

• check to see that all chips and scrapes have been painted over
• make sure the color of the repainted area perfectly matches the vehicle's original color
• look around the door jambs for neat, clean-cut edges

You don't want to see marks that weren't painted over, a color that isn't a perfect match, or sloppy work around the doors.

Do They Provide a Loaner Car While the Work is Being Done?

According to Auto Insurance Center, repairing cars after minor accidents can take 5 to 10 days, and repairs after major accidents can take as long as two months -- or longer. If you need to rent a car while yours is being worked on, the cost of your rental vehicle could quickly add up.

If your auto insurance company is providing a free rental car, then how long repairing your car takes might not be too important. If your coverage doesn't include a rental vehicle, though, you'll want to find a repair shop that offers a loaner vehicle. Going to a shop that provides a complimentary loaner car will save you from having to pay for a rental vehicle.

What Does Their Road Test Include?

After all the work on your car is done, a service technician will likely take your car out for a road test. This is a final check that lets the technician make sure your automobile is working correctly and has been properly repaired. The more extensive the road test is, the more likely a technician is to notice any potential issues with your vehicle.

The road test should include more than driving your car around the block at 30 miles per hour. It should include taking your car on city streets, the highway and idling for a few minutes, as these are all routine things you'll do while driving. If there are any problems, they'll likely surface during a longer road test that includes all of these things. Finding them before you get your car back could save you from making another trip to the auto body repair shop for an issue that wasn't properly addressed.

Will They Bill the Insurance Company Directly?

Many auto body repair companies will bill insurance companies directly, although some don't. If a shop doesn't directly bill insurers, you'll have to submit their invoice to your insurer and wait for a check from our insurance company. Going to a shop that will bill insurers will make your life easier because you won't have to submit the invoice and follow up with your insurer yourself.

If you have more questions, reach out to a local repair shop, such as Rocky Mountain Collision of Sandy.