Do You Have to Report Your Car Accident to the DMV?
Depending upon your home state’s rules, auto accidents that result in injuries and fatalities must be reported to the DMV. Failure to submit these reports could result in the suspension of your vehicle’s registration and driver’s license.
In some states, it may also lead to criminal charges. Understanding when you must report a car accident is vital for ensuring that you remain within the bounds of the law and that your interests are duly protected.
Will Your Car Insurance Company Report an Accident to the DMV for You?
There are several reasons for your car insurance company to communicate with your state’s Department of Motor Vehicles. These include:
- A lapse in your insurance policy due to non-payment or a failure to renew;
- You have been convicted of a major driving offense such as a DUI;
- You have failed to meet specific driving standards.
However, besides these reasons, insurance companies do not generally communicate with the DMV about individual driving practices and events. Thus, it would help if you never assumed that your insurer submitted an accident report on your behalf.
In most states, either you or the police are required to report injury and fatality accidents to DMV. Even if you have signed a police report at the scene, you should still make sure that this information has been forwarded to the DMV.
Why Accident Reporting Is So Important
Timely reporting of a car accident is vital for protecting your personal injury case. Whether physical injuries and property damages are insignificant or major, filing a police report and then forwarding this information to the DMV will help you build a solid claim and avoid future problems.
A police report offers an unbiased, third-party view of the event, as it officially documents the accident. A police report is far more reliable than witness accounts or your version of the story. When you choose to file a claim, insurance companies will likely request a copy of the police report to know more about:
- The date and time of the collision;
- The resulting property damages;
- Events leading up to the crash;
- The exact location where the collision occurred.
Given that on-scene police officers record these and other details shortly after accidents, their reports’ veracity is largely unquestioned.
Should You Report an Accident to Your Car Insurance Company?
Although your state of residence might not require you to report an accident, accident reporting is likely a stipulation of your car insurance policy.
Just as car insurance companies agree to make a variety of provisions for claims filed, policyholders have a number of actions that they agree to take. This remains true even when drivers are not at fault for these events.
However, keep in mind that you are not legally required to offer a recorded statement to the insurance company. In fact, most personal injury attorneys strongly advise against doing so because insurers usually use what you tell them against you to lower the value of your claim.
If your insurance company or the other driver’s insurance company requests a recorded statement, decline and contact a car accident attorney right away. Auto accident reporting rules vary greatly from state to state, so a law professional can help you navigate those rules.
For instance, in Georgia, you are no required to report a car crash if property damage doesn’t exceed $500 and no person was killed or injured, but some municipalities require you to report all accidents. So, by contacting a reputable. Georgia car accident lawyer, you can learn more about your obligations and rights concerning accident reporting in The Peach State, and you can ensure that no legal missteps are made.
Factors That Make Accident Reporting Necessary
No matter where you live if there is an injury or fatality, car accidents should always be reported. This will help simplify the insurance claims process and ensure that all legal obligations are met. However, even if no physical injuries are sustained, excessive property damages could still make reporting a collision to the DMV mandatory.
Understanding the Consequences of Not Reporting an Accident
Failing to file a police report and submit it to the DMV can be detrimental to drivers in many ways. In addition to facing the loss of your driving privileges and your vehicle registration, not to mention the potential for criminal charges, you’ll be placed in the precarious position of having the accepted account be your word against the other driver’s word.
You never know what another driver will do after everyone has left the scene. In fact, some drivers immediately assume fault, accept cash settlements, and leave without putting anything on the official record, only to file police reports later on with details that are highly contradictory to what actually occurred.
Conclusion
Even if you live in a state that does not require you to submit a report to the DMV about an accident, doing so can be key for bolstering your car insurance claim. It’s also necessary for protecting yourself against a variety of accident-related scams. With an official report, there will always be a clear record of an accident, when and where it happened, and why and how it occurred.
