How to Properly Report a Car Accident in Florida

To properly report a car accident in Florida, you must notify law enforcement immediately, by the quickest means available, whenever a crash causes an injury, a death, or apparent damage to a vehicle or other property of at least $500. If no officer prepares a report for a crash that damaged a vehicle or property, Florida law requires the driver to submit a written crash report to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles within 10 days. Getting these steps right creates an official record of what happened and protects your ability to pursue an insurance or injury claim later.

Reports alert the authorities, document the event, and are essential for receiving compensation to cover damages that result from the accident. It is not always clear when and how someone should report a car accident, and the rules are stricter than many drivers realize. The Law Offices of Scott Sobol has spent more than 20 years helping injured drivers throughout Broward County, and if you are dealing with the fallout of a crash, it may be beneficial to reach out to a Davie car accident lawyer for legal counsel before you speak with any insurance company.

When Florida Law Requires You to Report a Car Accident

Florida’s crash reporting duty comes from Section 316.065, Florida Statutes. Under that statute, the driver of a vehicle involved in a crash must give immediate notice to law enforcement when the crash results in any of the following:

• Injury: harm to any person, including drivers, passengers, pedestrians, and bicyclists
• Death: the death of any person involved in the crash
• Property damage: damage to any vehicle or other property in an apparent amount of at least $500

Because even modest body work can exceed $500, many drivers who assume their crash was too minor to report are mistaken. If the crash happened inside city limits, the notice goes to the local police department. Otherwise, it goes to the county sheriff’s office or the nearest Florida Highway Patrol station. When in doubt, call and let the responding agency decide how the crash should be documented.

Check if You or Anyone Else Is Injured

After an accident, it’s important to check yourself for injuries. You should also examine your surroundings and check on anyone else involved in the incident. Under Section 316.062, every driver involved in a crash involving injury must render reasonable assistance to anyone who was hurt, including arranging transportation to a hospital when treatment is clearly necessary or requested. Whether it’s the other driver, other motorists, pedestrians, or a bicyclist, if anyone involved in the accident was injured, it must be included in the report.

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Get checked by a medical provider even if you feel fine. Some injuries, such as whiplash and concussions, take hours or days to show symptoms. Florida’s personal injury protection (PIP) coverage also generally requires you to receive initial medical care within 14 days of the crash to access those benefits, which is one reason how Florida’s no-fault insurance system works after an accident matters from the very first day. Florida did not repeal PIP in its 2026 legislative session, so the $10,000 PIP requirement and 14-day rule remain in effect.

Call Law Enforcement and Stay at the Scene

Do not leave the scene before you have met your reporting and information-exchange duties. Leaving the scene of a crash that involves injury or death is a serious criminal offense in Florida, and leaving after a crash that damages an attended vehicle or property is also a violation of state law. If the other driver drives off, you can still report the crash and pursue a claim, and our guide on what happens after a hit-and-run in Florida explains your options.

Once officers arrive, the type of report they prepare depends on the crash. Under Section 316.066, a law enforcement officer must complete a long-form crash report when a crash involves death, injury, or any complaint of pain; a suspected DUI or leaving the scene; a vehicle damaged badly enough to require a tow; or a commercial motor vehicle. For other crashes on public roads, the officer completes a short-form report or provides a driver exchange-of-information form. Understanding the role a police report plays in a car accident claim can help you see why this record matters so much later.

Answer the Reporting Officer’s Questions Carefully

Once the authorities have reached the accident scene, you will be asked to describe what happened. Be prepared to show your driver’s license, vehicle registration, and proof of insurance, since Florida law requires each party to provide proof of insurance to the investigating officer. Stick to the facts you know: where you were, which direction you were traveling, and what you saw. If you are not sure about something, such as your exact speed or which car hit first, it is better to say so than to guess.

Avoid apologizing or speculating about who caused the crash. Florida now follows a modified comparative negligence rule under Section 768.81, and a person found more than 50 percent at fault for their own harm generally cannot recover any damages. Our overview of how Florida’s modified comparative negligence law affects car accident claims explains why careless statements carry higher stakes than they once did. Florida law does provide that statements made to an officer for the purpose of completing a required crash report generally may not be used as evidence at a civil or criminal trial, but that protection has exceptions and does not extend to what you tell an insurance adjuster.

When You Must File Your Own Written Crash Report

Not every crash gets a law enforcement report. If a crash damaged a vehicle or other property but did not require an officer’s report, Section 316.066(1)(e) requires the driver to submit a written report of the crash to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles within 10 days. The Department provides a Driver Report of Traffic Crash form for this purpose, and many local police departments direct drivers to the same form for self-reporting minor crashes.

If your injuries prevented you from making a report at the scene, contact the responding agency, or an attorney, as soon as you are able so that the official record reflects your account. Waiting too long can make it harder to correct errors or add information that the officer did not have at the time.

Check the Vehicles for Damage

In addition to injuries, the amount of property damage determines whether a crash must be reported, so take a careful look at every vehicle involved. If it is safe to do so, photograph all vehicles from several angles, along with license plates, skid marks, debris, traffic signals, and road or weather conditions. Florida law also requires drivers to exchange names, addresses, and vehicle registration numbers, and to show a driver’s license upon request.

Gather contact information from any witnesses before they leave. Independent witnesses often become important when drivers give conflicting accounts, and their information can be difficult to track down weeks later.

How to Get a Copy of Your Florida Crash Report

Florida crash reports can be purchased through the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles crash report portal, and the fee is $10 per report under Section 321.23. For the first 60 days after a report is filed, reports containing personal information are confidential and generally available only to the parties involved, their legal representatives, their insurers, and certain agencies. Our article on how Florida public records laws affect accident claims covers this access in more detail.

Review your report as soon as you receive it. If you find factual errors, such as an incorrect name, vehicle, or location, contact the reporting agency promptly to ask about submitting a correction or supplemental statement.

What if You Did Not Report the Accident Right Away?

Failing to report a crash at the scene does not automatically end your right to compensation, but it can make your claim harder to prove. Without an official record, insurance companies may question when and how your injuries occurred. If you did not call police, report the crash as soon as possible and preserve every piece of evidence you have. Our guide on filing a claim when you did not call the police walks through what you can still do.

Reporting Deadlines Are Not the Same as Claim Deadlines

The 10-day written reporting rule is separate from the deadlines that apply to your insurance claim and any lawsuit. Most auto policies require prompt notice of a crash, and delays can give an insurer a reason to dispute coverage. For a personal injury lawsuit, House Bill 837 shortened Florida’s general negligence deadline from four years to two years for claims arising on or after March 24, 2023, under Section 95.11. You can review Florida’s statute of limitations for injury lawsuits for more detail, and missing that deadline can permanently bar your claim.

Consult an Experienced Car Accident Lawyer

Immediately following a car accident, you may be stunned by the impact and overwhelmed by everything you know you have to do afterward, but these moments are vital to your case. Scott Sobol is an experienced car accident lawyer who knows the importance of properly filing a car accident report. Since 2003, Sobol has provided more than 1,000 clients with quality, compassionate representation, and he holds a Martindale-Hubbell AV Preeminent Rating for legal ability and ethical standards. Clients speak directly with an attorney from the first conversation, and our firm handles injury claims on a contingency fee basis.

If you need legal assistance following a car accident, we can review your crash report, identify any gaps or errors, and handle communication with the insurance companies while you focus on recovering. Reach out to Scott Sobol today by filling out the contact form.

Frequently Asked Questions About Reporting a Car Accident in Florida

LEGALLY REVIEWED BY:
Scott Sobol
September 28, 2026

Scott Sobol is a dedicated personal injury attorney with over two decades of experience representing injured clients across South Florida. He has handled more than 1,000 cases involving serious car accidents, unsafe premises, and denied insurance claims. Known for his client-focused approach, Scott prioritizes open communication to guide clients confidently through complex legal challenges. Licensed in Florida, Illinois, and Texas, his extensive knowledge of the law ensures a strong pursuit of justice for those affected by negligence.

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