A car crash — even a minor one — is a traumatic experience.

But it’s not an uncommon one. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s latest data, an average of almost 17,000 crashes are reported to police every day, leaving drivers stressed and often confused about what to do next.

How does the insurance process work? What do you ask for in a repair? Where can you go for help? And where do you start?

To help in that situation, General Motors has expanded the Collision Assistance tool in its vehicle mobile apps — myChevrolet, myGMC, myBuick and myCadillac — with a new self-discovery feature designed to make those next steps clearer.

The tool, available to eligible U.S. GM owners with an active OnStar service plan, is designed to guide drivers through the post-collision process, from documenting the incident and starting an insurance claim to finding a repair facility that follows GM-recommended procedures.

In a new release, GM said the experience provides a clear path forward that can reduce confusion as well as a resource to help car owners make more informed decisions.

The automaker said Collision Assistance helps drivers collect details at the scene using the app’s camera and prompts and provides a step-by-step, self-paced experience drivers can engage with when they are ready, without interrupting emergency calls.

It can also connect customers to facilities in GM’s collision repair network, which includes dealership facilities as well as many independent body shops that follow GM repair procedures.

The network facilities, GM said, use specialized equipment, perform pre- and post-repair scans and are guided by GM’s collision repair recommendations. They also have access to GM Genuine parts and ACDelco components, which the OEM said are engineered specifically for GM vehicles.

The new self-discovery feature allows drivers to initiate the Collision Assistance flow themselves in the app, GM said, offering the flexibility of choosing when to take the next steps after a collision.

If they’re not ready to engage right away, users can temporarily pause the experience in the app and come back to it later, launching Collision Assistance when they’re ready. GM said the goal is to provide help without interrupting safety-critical calls or on-scene decisions.