Guide

How to report a car accident: police, state and insurer

How to report a car accident in the US: when to call the police, when your state wants its own crash report, and when to tell your insurer.

Updated October 26, 20268 min readReviewed by My Wreck Check Editorial Team, editorial review: primary sources checked and independently fact-checked

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How to report a car accident comes down to three separate reports: the police, your state's motor vehicle or highway safety department when its law requires a written report, and your insurance company. Each has its own trigger, and in New York and California the DMVs say a report to your insurer doesn't replace the state report. Which ones apply depends on the state where the crash happened and on what it involved.

How to report a car accident: the three reports

Think of it as three jobs. First the police, because some state laws require a call right away for certain crashes. Then the state, because some states want a written report from the drivers, filed with a state department within a set number of days. Then your insurer, whose policy sets its own notice terms, sometimes with a state deadline on top.

The examples below come from California, Florida, New York and Texas. They were picked because each state does it a little differently, so read them as examples of how the rules work, and look up the state where your crash happened.

When you have to call the police

The National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) says to "call 911 if someone is injured." Several state laws go further.

Florida. Under section 316.065, a driver in a crash that causes injury, death, or damage "in an apparent amount of at least $2,000" must "immediately by the quickest means of communication give notice" to the local police department, or outside a city, to the county sheriff or the Florida Highway Patrol. Not doing so is a noncriminal traffic infraction.

Texas. Transportation Code section 550.026 requires an immediate report when a collision causes injury or death, or leaves a vehicle unable to "be normally and safely driven." The report goes to the local police in a city, or to the sheriff's office or another office the statute lists. Section 550.023 also requires drivers to exchange their name, address, vehicle registration number and liability insurer's name, show a driver's license if asked, and give reasonable help to anyone injured.

New York. The state's driver's manual says: "If you are in a crash, you must stop. The level of damage does not matter." If anyone is hurt or killed, "the police must be notified immediately."

When an officer comes, the NAIC suggests asking "when and where to get the accident report and accident report number," and noting the officer's name and badge number.

When your state wants its own crash report

This one is easy to overlook, because it goes to a state department rather than to the police or your insurer.

California. The DMV requires an SR-1 within 10 days if "someone is injured (no matter how minor the injury) or killed, or property damage is over $1000." You, or your insurance agent, broker or legal representative, can complete it. The DMV is plain that it "is required in addition to any other report made to the police, CHP, or your insurance company."

New York. You must report to the DMV any crash involving a death or personal injury, and any crash with "$1000 or more in damage to the property of any one person." The form is the MV-104, Report of Motor Vehicle Crash, and it can also be filed online. It's due "within 10 days of the event." Failing to report is a misdemeanor and can mean suspension or revocation of your license or registrations. If the driver is injured and can't complete it, a passenger or the vehicle owner may.

Florida. For crashes that involve death, injury or complaints of pain, a vehicle towed from the scene, or a commercial vehicle, among other triggers, the investigating officer files a long-form report within 10 days after completing the investigation under section 316.066. For other crashes on public roads, the officer completes a short-form report or gives the drivers an exchange-of-information form. And when a crash damages a vehicle or other property but doesn't require a law enforcement report, the driver must "within 10 days after the crash, submit a written report of the crash to the department." In that chapter, "the department" means the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles.

Texas. Here the written state report comes from the officer. Section 550.062 requires an investigating officer to report a collision involving injury, death, or property damage to any one person "to the apparent extent of $1,000 or more," filed with TxDOT no later than the 10th day. TxDOT no longer keeps the Driver's Crash Report (Form CR-2). Drivers in a crash no officer investigated who were given a CR-2 or a similar local form "should retain this information for their records." Section 550.067 also lets a city, by ordinance, require drivers to file a report with a city department, so check local rules too. A driver involved in the crash can buy the officer's report (CR-3) from TxDOT online, at $6 for a regular copy or $8 for a certified one, plus a small online surcharge.

How to report a car accident to your insurer

The NAIC's instruction is simple: "To file a claim, call the phone number on your proof-of-insurance card as soon as possible." It also lists what to have ready: the other driver's name, address and insurer, the other car's make, model, year and plate, witnesses' names and contact details, and the time, date and exact location.

How soon is "as soon as possible"? Your policy sets the terms. New York's Department of Financial Services says you "should promptly report it to your insurance company, as well as to the local police department," and calls it "extremely important that you read your policy to determine exactly what reporting requirements are included."

Some deadlines come from state rules. In New York, an injured person must give written notice of a no-fault claim "as soon as reasonably practicable, but in no event more than 30 calendar days after the date of the accident," unless they can give written proof of a clear and reasonable justification for filing late. Generally, if the crash happened in New York, the no-fault claim goes to the insurer of the vehicle you were in, or if you were a pedestrian, the insurer of the vehicle that hit you. If you were hurt by a hit-and-run driver or an uninsured vehicle and the claim goes to MVAIC, the DFS says the crash should be reported to the proper authority within 24 hours.

If the claim is against the other driver's insurer, the Texas Department of Insurance suggests getting a copy of the police report, if police responded, and sending it to that company. The guide to how a car accident claim works covers what happens after that call, from the adjuster to the release.

Can you claim a car accident without a police report?

Police don't respond to every crash, and the NAIC addresses this directly in its consumer advice, Don't be a crash dummy: "If the police are not dispatched, file an incident report. This may assist you with your claim." When you call your insurer, it says to have "the police or incident report" available.

Without an officer's report, your own record carries more weight. The NAIC's filing checklist already covers it: photos or a sketch of the scene, witnesses' contact details, and notes on skid marks, weather and road conditions.

The state paperwork doesn't go away either. In Florida, the driver's 10-day written report is precisely the one for crashes that don't require a law enforcement report. In Texas, drivers given a CR-2 in a crash no officer investigated keep it for their records. Knowing how to report a car accident when no officer came mostly means knowing which of these applies to you.

Fault can be harder to show, too. The Texas Department of Insurance warns that the other driver's insurer may say its driver wasn't at fault and refuse to pay. Its next suggested step is a claim on your own policy, where your collision coverage can pay for repairs.

If the other side's adjuster later makes an offer, you can line it up against your own numbers first.

Your options after the reports are in

Once the reports are filed, the next question is how to handle the claim itself. These are the realistic routes, starting with the one that asks least of you.

If the crash wasn't your fault, the guide on what to do after a crash that was not your fault walks through the first days. Whether a lawyer is worth it is covered in do you actually need a lawyer after a crash? For a question about your own reporting duties, a licensed attorney in your state or the state's DMV is the right place to ask.

Bottom line

How to report a car accident depends on where it happened. Expect up to three reports. The police come first where your state's law requires a call. The state comes next where it wants a written crash report (in California and New York, within 10 days). Your insurer should hear as soon as you can manage, inside any deadline your policy or state sets. In New York and California, filing with your insurer doesn't take care of the state report.

Common questions

How long do you have to report a car accident?

It depends on the state and on which report. California's DMV wants an SR-1 within 10 days when the crash meets its threshold, New York's DMV wants an MV-104 within 10 days, and New York's no-fault rules set a 30-calendar-day limit for written notice of an injury claim. In Florida, Texas and New York, the police call, where required, is immediate.

Can you claim a car accident without a police report?

The NAIC's advice covers it: if the police are not dispatched, file an incident report, which may help your claim, and have the police or incident report ready when you call your insurer. Your policy says what reporting it requires, so read that part of it.

Do I have to call the police after a minor accident?

It depends on the state. Florida requires an immediate report to the police for injury, death or apparent damage of at least $2,000. Texas requires one when someone is hurt or killed or a vehicle cannot be normally and safely driven. New York requires the police to be notified immediately when anyone is injured or killed.

Does telling my insurance company count as reporting the crash to the state?

Not in New York or California. New York's DMV says reporting to your insurer does not finish your legal obligation, and California's DMV says the SR-1 is required in addition to any report to the police, CHP or your insurer.

Who files the report if the driver was hurt?

In New York, a passenger or the vehicle owner may complete the MV-104 if the driver is injured and cannot. In California, the SR-1 can be completed by you or your insurance agent, broker or legal representative.

Sources

By My Wreck Check Editorial Team. First published October 26, 2026. Advertiser disclosure

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