Auto accidents are a common occurrence in California. Operating a vehicle on the highways in the state involves a risk of colliding with other vehicles or obstacles along the road. Under California law, a reportable collision is an accident you must report to law enforcement officers or the Department of Motor Vehicles.

The accident reporting requirement applies to owned or leased vehicles. However, not all accidents must be reported. You will be required to give notice of an accident that causes death or injuries to another person. Additionally, collisions that cause substantial property damage must be reported.

Reporting a car accident to the DMV involves completing and submitting Form SR-1 within ten days of the crash. Failure to do this could result in substantial monetary fines and the loss of your right to recover compensation. Accident reporting laws can be confusing, especially when you are still shocked by the accident. Therefore, seeking expert legal guidance is critical.

Reporting an Accident to the Department of Motor Vehicles

The California DMV is an agency of the state government that handles:

  • Vehicle registration.
  • Issuing learner permits.
  • Regulating the use of driver's licenses.

The DMV monitors your driving conduct and could suspend or revoke your driver’s license. You have a legal obligation to report it to the DMV if you are involved in an auto accident in California. An accident, in this case, could include the following:

  • A collision between two vehicles. Most accidents in California result from collisions between two or more vehicles. This could include head-on collisions, side-impact collisions, and rear-end collisions.
  • Pedestrian accident. A pedestrian accident occurs when a vehicle hits a person crossing the road or sidewalk. You must report the accident to the DMV if the pedestrian is injured or dies.
  • A car hits a stationary object. Some accidents occur when a driver hits a stationary object. This could be a vehicle parked on the roadside or another object.
  • Vehicle overturning. A vehicle could overturn in a rollover accident. This type of accident may occur even when the vehicle does not hit an obstacle or collide with another car.
  • A passenger falls out of a vehicle. Falling out of a moving car can cause serious injuries or even death to the victim. For this reason, such an incident is considered a reportable accident.

Reporting accidents to the DMV is done by obtaining and filing Form SR-1. This is a legal document issued by the DMV to encourage full transparency and disclosure of accident information by motorists. You will be required to fill out and submit this form within ten days under the following circumstances:

  • The accident resulted in another person's death. Death is a common outcome of auto accidents. Depending on the seriousness of the collision, a person could lose their life due to the crash's impact or as a result of accident injuries. You must report the death of a passenger, driver, motorcyclist, or pedestrian.
  • The collision caused substantial injuries. Even the slightest collision can cause severe injuries to the parties involved. If you or another person has suffered injuries in a crash, you must file Form SR-1 to report the collision to the Department of Motor Vehicles.
  • The accident caused property damage of $1,000 or more. Sometimes, accidents do not result in injury or death. Instead, they cause substantial property damage. This could occur when a vehicle hits another vehicle parked on the road or destroys another person’s property.

You can obtain the Form SR-1 form from the DMV website and fill out the following information:

General Collision Information

General information about a car accident includes:

  • Date and time of the accident.
  • The specific location where the accident occurred.

If you suffered severe injuries and do not remember the general information about the accident, you can confirm the details from accident witnesses or the police report. When law enforcement officers are called to an accident scene, they include these details on their police reports. A skilled car accident lawyer will help you obtain these details.

Drivers Information

Reportable accidents could involve one or multiple vehicles. When submitting your Form SR-1 to the Department of Motor Vehicles, you must include the following information about the driver:

  • Full names.
  • Full Legal address.
  • Driver’s license number.
  • Model and license plate of the vehicle.

You must include your information in this form if you were driving the car during the accident.

Auto Insurance Information

All drivers must carry minimum insurance when operating a vehicle in California. When you report an accident to the DMV, you must include the following information: insurance information for all drivers involved in the crash:

  • Name of the insurance provider.
  • Insurance policy number.
  • Names of the policyholders.
  • The policyholder's address.
  • Police expiration date and period.

Complete Information on Deaths, Injuries, and Property Damage

You must report all collisions that result in injury, death, or substantial property damage. In your SR-1 submitted to the DMV, you must include the following information:

  • Full names and addresses of the victims.
  • Type of harm done to the victim. This could consist of death, injury, and property damage.
  • Description of property damage and value.
  • The connection between the victim and the accident. You must indicate the connection between the victim and the collision. This could include passengers, drivers, or pedestrians.

Reasons for Reporting an Accident to the DMV

California law requires you to report a collision to the Department of Motor Vehicles to monitor all drivers' driving histories and identify negligent operators. The negligent operator system is a DMV process where drivers earn points for their driving conduct.

The DMV could suspend your driver’s license if you accumulate specific points on your record. You will earn points on your record for the following conduct:

  • Causing an accident. When you report an accident and are determined to be the fault party, the DMV will add a point to your record.
  • Driving a vehicle with mechanical problems. Such conduct could put your passengers and other road users at risk of injury or death. Therefore, the DMV will consider this negligent conduct.
  • Facing a conviction for a driving crime. You will have two additional negligent operator points if you are found guilty of drunk driving, driving with a suspended license, or driving without a license.

If you accumulate many points on your record, the DMV will declare you a negligent operator and can suspend or revoke your license. The DMV must follow the following steps of the Negligent Operator Treatment System:

  • Send an initial warning letter.
  • Send you a notice of their intent to suspend your driving privileges.
  • Order a suspension of the driver’s license.

If you are at fault in a fatal auto accident, the DMV could revoke your driver’s license without following the negligent operator process.

Consequences of Failing to Report a Collision to the DMV

Reporting an accident to the DMV by filing Form SR-1 is legally required. Failure to abide by the requirement could result in the following consequences:

Driver’s License Suspension

If you fail to report your accident to the DMV or miss the ten-day deadline, you can lose your driver’s license through suspension. If you do not receive a letter from the DMV regarding the accident, either they do not know about it, or the other involved parties did not report it.

After an unreported collision, the DMV will suspend your license for up to one year. This is done assuming you did not have auto insurance coverage during the accident. You could seek to reinstate your driving privileges by providing proof of insurance to the Department of Motor Vehicles. Additionally, you may be required to fill out the SR-1 form and submit it.

Inability to Recover Compensation

You must report an auto accident, regardless of where the fault lies or who has been injured. The losses and injuries from the car accident can take a toll on your financial life. Seeking compensation for your losses and injuries involves identifying the liable parties in the accident and filing a personal injury claim against them.

If the other party has insurance coverage, their provider will shoulder the burden of compensating you. While you have a right to compensation for the injuries, you must obtain the responsible party’s insurance information. In California, you can obtain information about another driver or insurance company by filing Form SR-19C, which is only possible after submitting Form SR-1.

Reporting your Collision to Law Enforcement

If you are involved in a collision, you must file an accident report with law enforcement officers. After the collision, you have up to 24 hours to file the report with the local police department. The accidents that must be reported to the police include:

  • Collisions that cause injuries or death. You must file a police report for an accident that causes injury or death to another person.
  • Accidents cause property damage. If you are involved in an accident that results in substantial property loss, you must notify law enforcement officers.
  • None of the drivers has a license. After an accident, you must exchange contact and identification information with other parties. This involves taking down the driver’s license numbers of other drivers. You must file a police report for the accident if one of the drivers was operating without a license.
  • Drunk driving incident. When law enforcement officers respond to a car accident, they will assess all involved parties and sometimes perform a breathalyzer test to detect cases of intoxication. If one of the drivers was operating while intoxicated, you will be required to report these facts.

If no one is injured in the accident and the loss is not substantial, you can exchange information with other parties and move forward without notifying the police. However, you may be unable to quantify vehicle damage if you are not a professional mechanic.

Determining the right channels to report an accident to the police depends on the specifics of the collision. Reporting an accident to police under California Vehicle Code 20008 does not apply to law enforcement officers who respond to the crash or write the accident report at the scene.

There is no guarantee that the officers who responded to the accident will write a report. The officer’s reaction to the scene will depend on the severity of the accident and its location. However, if the responding officers have a report, it will detail all the accident facts. Your car accident attorney can help you obtain a copy of this report. This enables you to gather the evidence to support your claim and recover maximum compensation for your losses and injuries.

Reporting an Accident to Your Insurance Company

You need proof of insurance to register a vehicle in California. If you are involved in an auto accident, vehicle insurance plays a significant role. California law follows a fault system in cases of liability for auto accidents. The at-fault driver's insurance company will shoulder liability for compensating the injured parties.

Although California has no laws on reporting a car accident to the insurance company, most auto insurance policies will have this requirement. You can explore the following options if you suffer an injury in the accident:

  • Seek compensation from your insurance company. If you have the right type of coverage, you can pursue compensation for your injuries from your insurance provider. By reporting the accident, the insurance company will investigate the accident and offer appropriate payments.
  • Pursue an insurance claim from the at-fault driver’s insurance. If another person is liable for your accident, you could contact their insurance provider and claim compensation. Obtaining information about another person’s insurance company requires you to notify the DMV about the accident and file Form SR-19 C.
  • File a personal injury lawsuit. Reporting your accident to the police and DMV makes it easier for you to file a successful personal injury case.

If you are at fault in an accident, your insurance company must compensate the victims. Prompt reporting of the accident gives the insurance company enough time to defend against a claim.

Reportable Accidents Under the Federal Law

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration offers guidelines for reporting commercial vehicle collisions. This includes trucks and other vehicles that travel across state lines. Under Federal regulations, a reportable collision includes:

  • Fatalities. Accidents that cause the death of one or more individuals.
  • Injuries. Collisions that cause injury to another person. The injuries that you must report are those that require the victim to seek medical attention.
  • Towing. You must report the incident if a commercial vehicle is towed after an accident.
  • Severe damage. If the commercial vehicle is severely damaged after an accident, the accident is classified as reportable under federal law.

Reporting accidents to the federal law could be done by the driver, vehicle carriers, or law enforcement agencies that respond to the incident.

Benefits of Reporting Your Car Accident

Even when involved in a minor accident, notifying the DMV, law enforcement, and auto insurance provider is critical. Some of the benefits of reporting include:

  • Avoid legal repercussions. Reporting an accident is a legal requirement. Failure to do this could result in serious consequences, including jail time, fines, and losing your driving privileges.
  • Kicks off the investigation process. In most accident cases, the injured party or family of the deceased will claim compensation for the loss. A claim or lawsuit settlement will occur after thorough investigations of the circumstances. Reporting the accident starts the investigation and documentation process.
  • Provides relevant evidence for a claim. If you want to file a car accident claim and recover compensation, reporting the accident could be a beneficial tool to obtain the evidence necessary for your lawsuit.
  • Prevent future entanglements. When you report a collision to the police and DMV, you will give the accident details to the best of your knowledge. If you leave it for another driver or road user to report, they could exaggerate your role in the accident and push all the blame on you.

Find a Reliable Car Accident Attorney Near Me

You have a legal obligation to report it to the authorities, the Department of Motor Vehicles, and sometimes your insurance provider if you are involved in an accident. Under California law, you must report an accident that causes injury to another person, death, or substantial property loss. Reporting the collision to law enforcement officers allows for a follow-up report and determination of fault when a personal injury lawsuit is filed.

The DMV can determine driver negligence when you report your collision. Reporting a crash to the DMV is done by completing Form SR-1 and submitting it within the stipulated time. Although California law does not mandate reporting to the insurance company, most policies have this requirement.

Notifying the insurance company also allows them to defend themselves if a lawsuit is filed against them for the accident. Understanding the accident reporting laws helps you meet the legal requirements and avoid the consequences of violating them.

You will benefit from the expert legal guidance we offer at Los Angeles Car Accident Attorney for more insight into the laws on reporting an accident. We serve clients battling car accident claims in Los Angeles, CA. Call us at 424-237-3600 to discuss the details of your case.