CA accident reporting (archive)

I know this is Boston, but here's some info from California that may or may not apply, depending on MA laws, but will be interesting to California drivers:

- A police report is required if there's death or injury. It's not required for property damage exceeding $500 (I thought it was), BUT
- A DMV report is required within 10 days if there's death or injury or $500 property damage to anyone in the accident. Penalty is license suspension.

Here's the interesting part. An accident appears on your record unless a police officer determines it was not your fault. That applies whether the police report it, you report it, or someone else reports it and whether or not it was your fault.

So if you're in an accident and it's someone else's fault, the only way to ensure it doesn't appear on your record is to get a police report that says you weren't at fault.

Bottom line: If more than $500 damage is done to any one person's property, get a police report unless you plan to skirt the legal requirement of reporting the accident to DMV and are sure the other drivers involved will do the same.

And brush up on what do after an accident before you actually have one, since you may not be thinking very clearly in the aftermath of one.

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