S4673

An Act concerning reporting requirements for drivers involved in motor vehicle accidents and amending R.S.39:4-130.

Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

1. R.S.39:4-130 is amended to read as follows:

39:4-130. The driver of a vehicle or street car involved in an accident resulting in injury to or death of any person, or damage to property of any one person in excess of [$500.00] $1,000 shall by the quickest means of communication give notice of [such] the accident to the local police department or to the nearest office of the county police of the county or of the State Police, and in addition shall within 10 days after [such] the accident forward a written report of [such] the accident to the commission on forms furnished by it. [Such] The written reports shall contain sufficiently detailed information with reference to a motor vehicle accident, including the cause, the conditions then existing, the persons and vehicles involved and such information as may be necessary to enable the chief administrator to determine whether the requirements for the deposit of security required by law are inapplicable by reason of the existence of insurance or other circumstances. The chief administrator may rely upon the accuracy of the information contained in any [such] report, unless [he] the chief administrator has reason to believe that the report is erroneous. The commission may require operators involved in accidents to file supplemental reports of accidents upon forms furnished by it when in the opinion of the commission, the original report is insufficient. The reports shall be without prejudice, shall be for the information of the commission, and shall not be open to public inspection. The fact that the reports have been so made shall be admissible in evidence solely to prove [a] compliance with this section, but no report or any part thereof or statement contained therein shall be admissible in evidence for any other purpose in any proceeding or action arising out of the accident.

Whenever the driver of a vehicle is physically incapable of giving immediate notice or making a written report of an accident as required in this section, and there was another occupant in the vehicle at the time of the accident capable of giving notice or making a report, [such] the occupant shall make or cause to be made [said] any notice or report not made by the driver.

Whenever the driver is physically incapable of making a written report of an accident as required by this section and [such driver] is not the owner of the vehicle, then the owner of the vehicle involved in [such] the accident shall make [such] any report not made by the driver.

In those cases where a driver knowingly violates the provisions of this section by failing to make a written report of an accident, there shall be a permissive inference that the registered owner of the vehicle which was involved in that accident was the person involved in the accident; provided, however, if that vehicle is owned by a rental car company or is a leased vehicle, there shall be a permissive inference that the renter or authorized driver pursuant to a rental car contract or the lessee, and not the owner of the vehicle, was the person involved in the accident, and the requirements and penalties imposed pursuant to this section shall be applicable to that renter or authorized driver or lessee and not the owner of the vehicle.

Any person who suppresses, by way of concealment or destruction, any evidence of a violation of this section or who suppresses the identity of the violator shall be subject to a fine of not less than $250 or more than $1,000.

A written report of an accident shall not be required by this section if a law enforcement officer submits a written report of the accident to the commission pursuant to R.S.39:4-131.

Except as otherwise provided in this section, a person who knowingly violates this section shall be fined not less than $30 or more than $100.

The chief administrator may revoke or suspend the operator's license privilege and registration privilege of a person who violates this section.

For purposes of this section, it shall not be a defense that the operator of the motor vehicle was unaware of the existence or extent of personal injury or property damage caused by the accident as long as the operator was aware that he was involved in an accident.

(cf: P.L.2007, c.266, s.2)

2. This act shall take effect immediately.

STATEMENT

This bill increases the property damage threshold for reportable motor vehicle accidents.

Under current law, the driver of a motor vehicle involved in an accident that results in property damage exceeding $500 is required to promptly notify the local police department or the nearest office of the county police or the State Police and forward a written report of the accident to the Motor Vehicle Commission within 10 days.

This bill increases the property damage threshold for reportable motor vehicle accidents from $500 to $1,000. The amount was last increased in 1983 from $200 to $500.

According to the sponsor, the significant increase in motor vehicle repair costs means the current reporting threshold no longer reflects the cost of repairing even minor damage. In many cases, the cost to repair a simple scratch now exceeds $500. The sponsor intends for this bill to modernize the reporting threshold to reflect current economic conditions, reduce the number of minor accidents that have become reportable solely because of inflation in repair costs, and lessen the long-term insurance consequences for drivers involved in minor accidents, while maintaining appropriate reporting requirements for more significant collisions.