With so many vehicles nationwide, it’s no wonder car accidents happen all the time. Drivers have gotten better at respective traffic laws and refraining from distracted driving, but still there are hundreds of thousands of car crashes every year. In California, there were 485,866 car crashes in 2017. Those resulted in almost 4,000 deaths and over 275,000 injuries. The sad reality is that accident deaths in the Golden State have gone up almost 24% in the past seven years.
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When you need to report a car accident in CA?
Did you know that in California you have to report your car accident to the CA Department of Motor Vehicles within 10 days under certain circumstances which include one of the following:
• The car crash resulted in property damage of more than $1000
• The car crash led to injury no matter how minor
• The car crash led to wrongful death (If injured victim died from other party’s actions)
According to California lawyers, the accident doesn’t have to qualify under one of these circumstances in order for you to report, but you have a legal obligation to report if it does. If you don’t report within 10 days, you could lose your driver’s license or have it suspended.
In addition, California follows a one-year statute of limitations for reporting a car accident. If no one involved reported it to the DMV within one year, the DMV doesn’t need to file a report and the license suspension requirements don’t apply.
How and what form to file for reporting your car accident with CA DMV
You or your lawyer can complete form SR-1 “Report of Traffic Accident Occurring in California.”
You have to provide all the details of your car accident including your personal info. From location and time to vehicle insurance and other driver’s vehicle information and more. You also have to give details about the people seeking damages for personal injury and the like. The California DMV’s SR-1 form is pretty self-explanatory. Reporting a car accident to the DMV in California will help you in the process of collecting compensatory damages for your losses, such as medical expenses and property damage.
