Oregon Law Requiring DMV Report

[ArthurKotb]

We live in central Kentucky and my wife was involved in an accident in Oregon this month. She's out there helping our daughter after major surgery. Police were notified and arrived but didn't fill our a report. Both drivers exchanged information, took pictures of licenses, insurance and damaged vehicles. We followed up with a phone call to our agent and insurance company.

All that was at the beginning of the month and we thought we were home free. Well the wife was talking to another caregiver at the recovery center and learned that regardless of an accident report or not, anyone involved in an accident has 72 hours to contact the Oregon DMV and report the accident. It's a law in Oregon.

I was wondering if anyone who lives in Oregon or traveled there had ever heard of this law? It's a real law and is enforced. I just don't know how anyone traveling in the state is supposed to know about this requirement. The police, insurance company, insurance agent, nobody told us about this. Well, we're past the 72 hour deadline but she called the DMV and they instructed her to go to a website and complete it, which she did.

So if you're involved in an accident in Oregon, you need to do this.

 

[Hungryhawk]

There is a similar law in california. I forget the exact reporting time period , but memory says 10 days. Only if injury or if damages exceed a specified amount.

 

[fkheath]

The police were notified. The police are an agent of the state, and thus an agent of the DMV which is part of the state. Thus, reporting to the police is the same as reporting to the DMV.

 

[ArthurKotb]

The police were notified. The police are an agent of the state, and thus an agent of the DMV which is part of the state. Thus, reporting to the police is the same as reporting to the DMV.

Oregon Department of Transportation : Collision Reporting and Responsibilities : Oregon Driver & Motor Vehicle Services : State of Oregon

Note: An Oregon Police Traffic Crash Report filed with DMV does not exempt you from the requirement to complete and submit an Oregon Traffic Collision and Insurance Report. Regardless of a police officer’s reporting, you are required, as outlined in ORS 811.720 and 811.725, to complete and submit the Oregon Traffic Collision and Insurance Report to DMV.

 

[ArthurKotb]

I'm just puzzled on how a visitor from another state is supposed to know these things. I know you have to comply with the driving laws of any state you are in but how are you supposed to know? The police car saw the out of state plate and said nothing. Even so, he / she should have reminded the drivers of this obligation. They didn't do an accident report so they certainly had time.

Good to know about California having a similar rule. I guess now that we have smart phones we can check on requirements like that while we're waiting on the police to show up.

 

[thennen]

What does Oregon do in the cases of non-compliance? I would think nothing, unless you visited the state again.

 

[trainman605]

I live in Texas and I'm not totally sure of what our state does in situations like this, but I do know that in many accidents that I have heard about the drivers are told to exchange info and let the insurance companies sort it out. This is when no one is injured in the accident. I would report it to my insurance company and go from there, in many cases you will have to use your insurance company to repair your vehicle and let them subrogate their insurance if you think they were at fault. This in many cases doesn't work out well, but until you start the process on your end, nothing will most likely happen on their end.

 

[ArthurKotb]

What does Oregon do in the cases of non-compliance? I would think nothing, unless you visited the state again.

I'm just getting the information second hand from someone who had a similar situation. Supposedly these state DMVs are all connected with each other and the insurance companies. So if you file a claim for an accident in another state and you don't notify the DMV then your license can be suspended. If your license is suspended then your insurance company may not cover you. If you get stopped while driving on a suspended license that's a big problem too.

I don't see anything on the Oregon DMV site about a fine, just suspension. The person my wife got the information from must have been mistaken.
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Within 72 hours of a motor vehicle collision, you are required to submit an Oregon Traffic Collision and Insurance Report to DMV. The report must contain all of the following:

Your name, date of birth, driver license number, and mailing address.
Information about the vehicle you were operating when the collision occurred, including vehicle license plate number, state where the vehicle is registered, vehicle identification number (VIN), year, make and model.
Insurance company name (not agent) and insurance policy number.

Filing a report without vehicle information and insurance information may result in DMV issuing a notice of suspension of driving privileges.

You must submit a collision report to DMV if the collision results in any of the following:

Injury or death to any person
Damage over $2,500 to the vehicle you were driving (even if your vehicle was the only one in the collision)
Damage over $2,500 to property other than a vehicle involved in the collision
Damage over $2,500 to any vehicle AND any vehicle is towed from the scene because of damage from the collision.

If you do not file a report when required, Oregon law requires DMV to suspend your driving privileges for five years or until you file a report, whichever is sooner. (ORS 809.417(1)).
If you were in a collision and the collision does not meet the reporting requirements above, you can report to DMV if the other party didn't have insurance. Be sure to clearly note on the collision report that the collision doesn't meet reporting requirements.

Note: An Oregon Police Traffic Crash Report filed with DMV does not exempt you from the requirement to complete and submit an Oregon Traffic Collision and Insurance Report. Regardless of a police officer’s reporting, you are required, as outlined in ORS 811.720 and 811.725, to complete and submit the Oregon Traffic Collision and Insurance Report to DMV.


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[ArthurKotb]

I live in Texas and I'm not totally sure of what our state does in situations like this, but I do know that in many accidents that I have heard about the drivers are told to exchange info and let the insurance companies sort it out. This is when no one is injured in the accident. I would report it to my insurance company and go from there, in many cases you will have to use your insurance company to repair your vehicle and let them subrogate their insurance if you think they were at fault. This in many cases doesn't work out well, but until you start the process on your end, nothing will most likely happen on their end.

Our state is a no fault state. We were in Florida and my wife got hit by a pickup when she was in the crosswalk. I called the insurance agent and our PIP insurance covered the hospital and ambulance bills. Oddly enough, she still had to fill out an accident report with the FL highway patrol and include one of our cars.

Each state has its own insurance laws and driver's license rules. I don't mind complying but there should be a better way of telling people of what needs to be done. It could be something as simple as a policeman handing you a card when they're called to an accident, telling you how to comply.