Accident Information
If you find yourself in the unfortunate circumstance of being involved in an accident, there are some Oregon Laws that you need to be aware of. According to Oregon Law, you may be required to fill out an accident report form and submit it to the DMV. Failure to do so may result in the suspension of your driver's license. The information below outlines when you are required to report an accident.
You must file an accident/insurance report with DMV within 72 hours when:
Damage to the vehicle you were driving is over $1,500, or
Damage to any vehicle is over $1,500 and any vehicle is towed from the scene as a result of damages from this accident, or
Injury or death resulted from this accident, or
Damages to any one person's property other than a vehicle involved in this accident is over $1,500, or
You are the owner of the vehicle involved in a reportable accident and the driver fails to report the accident.
Accidents in areas open to the public for the use of motor vehicles must be reported. Some drivers who are in accidents offer to fix the damage and try to get the other driver not to file a report. If you agree to do this, you are breaking the law if the amount of damage is more than $1,500. Always remember to keep a copy of your report for your own records.
If the vehicle involved in the accident is owned by someone other than the driver, the owner must fill out the report if the driver does not. You must file a report even if your vehicle was the only one in the crash. If you do not report an accident when required to do so, your driving privileges will be suspended.
If you were in a collision and the other party did not have insurance, you can report the collision to DMV even if the crash was under $1,500. However, the accident may also go on your driving record, if you do not clearly indicate on the accident report that your damages were less than $1,500.
Police Report
You must fill out an Accident and Insurance Report form and return it to DMV even if a police officer files a report. A police report does not replace your requirement to file an accident report with DMV. You must do that yourself.
Courtesy of OregonDMV.com