Relating to motor vehicle accident reports, including the amount of property damage necessary for a report, the period in which a law enforcement officer must forward a report to the department of transportation, and resulting suspensions of driver’s licenses, registrations, and operating privileges

Under current law, the driver of a vehicle involved in an accident resulting in injury to or death of any person, or total property damage to an apparent extent of $1,500 or more, must forward a written report of the accident to the department of transportation (DOT) within hours after the accident. However, such report is not required when the accident is investigated by a law enforcement agency. Every law enforcement officer who investigates a motor vehicle accident for which a report must be made is required to, within hours after completing such investigation, forward a written report of such accident to the DOT. This bill increases the minimum amount of total property damage necessary before an accident report is required from $1,500 to $7,500. The bill strikes the 24-hour requirement for a law enforcement officer who investigated an accident to forward a written report to the DOT. By operation of law, a driver of a vehicle who strikes fixtures upon a highway is not required to report the accident to the DOT unless the apparent total property damage is $7,500 or more. A driver involved in such an accident is required to take reasonable steps to locate and notify the owner, a peace officer, or person in charge of the damaged property and provide the driver’s name and address, the registration number of the vehicle causing the damage, and, upon request and if available, exhibit the person’s driver’s license.11) that causes total property damage of $1,500 or more. Such reports must be filed with the DOT or the natural resource commission (NRC) if the accident occurred on public land, ice, or a designated riding trail under the jurisdiction of the NRC.266(2) or (3), commits a simple misdemeanor punishable by confinement for no more than days and a fine of at least $105 but not more than $855.