aprobify.

Topic 7 · Section 52

After the Scene – Legal Reporting

You must report accidents to the DMV if:

  • There was more than $1,000 in property damage to anyone’s property (this threshold used to be $750 but is now $1,000).
  • Anyone was injured or killed, even slightly.

The report is made by filing an SR-1 form (Report of Traffic Accident Occurring in California) with the DMV within 10 days.

Important notes:

  • This requirement applies to each driver involved. Don’t assume the other driver will handle it — you must do your part.
  • You must include insurance information on this form. If you didn’t have insurance, the DMV will be notified and will likely suspend your license.
  • Failure to file can result in license suspension until the SR-1 is submitted.
  • Even if a police report was made, you still must file the SR-1. Police reports do not satisfy the DMV reporting requirement.
  • If you’re injured and unable to file immediately, a relative or insurance agent may file on your behalf — but ensure it’s filed within the deadline.

Check you have it

105 practice questions cover insurance and financial responsibility, each explaining the reasoning behind its answer.

Practise this topic

Source: California Driver's Handbook (DL 600, rev. 6/2025). Edited by Fernando Aguilera. Aprobify is not affiliated with the California DMV.

Cookie preferences

Necessary

Required for the site to work: security, load balancing and remembering the choices you make here. These cannot be turned off.

Always

Analytics

Google Analytics 4. Tells us which pages people read and where the study material falls short. We look at it in aggregate, never to identify you.

Advertising

Measuring how well our ads work. We run no advertising tags on this site today; the category exists so that any we add later stays blocked unless you allow it.