Understanding when and how to report collisions to police is a legal requirement that protects all parties involved and ensures proper documentation for insurance and legal purposes.
Mandatory Reporting Requirements:
By law, you must report any collision to the police when:
- There are any injuries to any person
- Damage to vehicles or other property exceeds $5,000
- There is suspected impaired driving
- A driver leaves the scene
- There are disagreements about fault or what happened
- Public property is damaged (signs, guardrails, etc.)
- A government vehicle is involved
Reporting Procedures:
1. Call police immediately (911 for emergencies, local police for property damage)
2. Provide location details and nature of collision
3. State whether there are injuries or significant damage
4. Follow dispatcher instructions
5. Remain at scene until police arrive
6. Cooperate fully with police investigation
Information Required for Police:
When police arrive, you must provide:
- Your full name and address
- Driver's licence
- Vehicle registration and permit
- Insurance card and policy information
- Your account of what happened
- Contact information for verification
Police Investigation Process:
Police will:
- Secure the collision scene
- Interview all drivers and witnesses
- Document vehicle damage and positions
- Measure skid marks and other evidence
- Take photographs of the scene
- Complete collision report
- Determine if charges should be laid
- Provide collision report number for insurance
Legal Obligations:
- You must remain at the scene
- Provide truthful information to police
- Cooperate with the investigation
- Do not admit fault or blame others
- Stick to facts about what you observed
- Do not discuss insurance details with other drivers
- Follow all police directions
Consequences of Not Reporting:
- Criminal charges for leaving scene of collision
- Insurance claims may be denied
- Civil liability issues
- Driver's licence suspension
- Heavy fines and possible jail time
- Difficulty proving your version of events later
Collision Report:
Police will provide a collision report number that you'll need for insurance claims. You can usually obtain a copy of the full report after several days for a small fee.
Special Circumstances:
Some collisions require additional reporting:
- Collisions involving transport trucks
- Hazardous material spills
- Collisions on private property open to public
- Hit-and-run situations
- Suspected criminal activity
Legal requirement to report collisions with injuries or damage over $5,000
Must report suspected impaired driving, hit-and-run, fault disagreements
Report damage to public property or government vehicles
Call 911 for emergencies, local police for property damage
Provide location, nature of collision, injuries/damage status