Main Takeaways:

• Depending on the circumstances of your car accident, you may need to file a report with the DMV, the police, and your insurance company.
• To report to the DMV, you must fill out and submit the SR-1 form within 10 days.
• If you fail to fill out and submit a car accident report with the DMV, your license may be suspended.
• If someone was hurt or killed in an auto accident, and you were one of the drivers, you must report the accident to the police within 90 minutes.

Reporting a Car Accident to the DMV

An accident that causes injuries, death, or property damage greater than $1,000 to anyone vehicle or property must be reported to the DMV, as specified in California Vehicle Code 16000. To report to the DMV, you (or someone else on your behalf, such as an insurance agent or lawyer) must fill out and submit an SR-1 form (Report of Traffic Accident Occurring in California) within 10 days.

Form SR-1

To fill out this form, you will need certain information: including the location and time of the accident, the names, addresses, birthdates, driver's licenses, and license plate numbers and states for the other drivers involved in the accident. You will also need their insurance information including the insurance company, policy number, and expiration date.

In addition, you will need to provide information like the name and address of your insurance policyholder, name and address of the owner of your vehicle, and details about any injuries or property damage sustained in the accident. You should gather this information at the scene of the accident so you can file a DMV report after leaving the scene.

The report can be delivered to your local DMV office or mailed to the office of the department of Sacramento at the following address:

Department of Motor Vehicles

Financial Responsibility

Mail Station J237

P.O. Box 942884

Sacramento, CA 94284-0884

What Happens If You Don't Report a Car Accident?

If you fail to fill out and submit a report with the Department of Motor Vehicles, your driver's license may be suspended.

However, you do not need to file a report for an accident involving a vehicle owned or leased by the United States, the state of California, any other U.S. state, or a local agency; or for an accident involving a vehicle owned by a school district but driven by a contractor.

You also do not need to file a report if the accident occurred on your property and either did not involve anyone else or did not cause any personal injury or death.

Reporting a Car Accident to the Police

You must report an accident to the police within 90 minutes of the crash if someone was injured or killed and you were one of the drivers. If law enforcement arrives on the scene of the accident, then you can report it to them immediately, and if they file a written report, you generally do not need to file one yourself.

Under other circumstances, you must report the accident to the police department within 24 hours of the crash. These circumstances include cases when the property damage sustained in the accident is greater than $3000, cases in which drivers did not exchange information at the scene of the accident, a vehicle was towed or carried away from the accident scene, or the police did not arrive on the scene. If the police do not arrive, you can report the accident to your local police station.

How to File a Police Report

To file a police report, you will need to give information about yourself, including details about your driver's license and vehicle registration. You will also need to provide the location and time of the accident, and information about everyone else involved in the accident, including their vehicle registration information. In your report, be as detailed as possible. When you describe what happened, include details like the number of passengers in the other vehicle, the names of any witnesses, and any injuries or property damage to your vehicle, yourself, and your passengers.

If the accident occurred on a highway, report it to the California Highway Patrol. Otherwise, report it to the local police of the city in which the accident occurred. In some cases, you can report a crash online.

Even if you feel a police report is unnecessary, it may still be a good idea to file one. Remember that not all injuries from accidents manifest immediately, and you may not realize at first the extent of the damage your vehicle sustained. Additionally, the other party in the accident may later change his or her mind about who was at fault in the accident – in which case a police report will be helpful.

Reporting a Car Accident to the Insurance Company

While you are not legally required to report an accident to your car insurance company, automobile insurance companies generally require you (or the policyholder) to report an accident within a reasonable period of time. To be on the safe side, you should report an accident to your insurance provider within a day or two of the crash, even if the accident was minor. This way, you'll be able to find out if your insurance provider will cover the accident. If you wait too long, you may go past a time limit that could affect your ability to file an insurance claim.

Consult With A Qualified Car Accident Attorney

Even if there are no serious injuries, navigating procedures and paperwork required after an auto accident is complicated. A wrong move could cost you thousands of dollars and possibly your driver's license. If you've been involved in a car accident, contact us online or call us at (707) 575-7141 to arrange a free consultation.