Driver's License Test Prep
California Practice Crash Procedures

Which situation requires you to file a collision report with DMV?

  1. A.
    Only collisions where you are at fault
  2. B.
    A collision causing more than $1,000 in property damage, or any injury or death Correct
  3. C.
    Only collisions that occur on public roads
The Why

The answer is "A collision causing more than $1,000 in property damage, or any injury or death"

The manual sets two independent DMV filing triggers: more than $1,000 in damage to property, or anyone injured or killed, even if the injuries were minor. Each driver files whether or not they caused the collision, and the rule reaches onto private property too. Choice C carries over the public-road default that governs most traffic rules; SR 1 is one of the exceptions the manual calls out by name, so the report is owed even when the crash happens in a driveway or parking lot.

Why the others miss

The traps in the wrong answers

A. Only collisions where you are at fault

The manual states each driver must file whether or not they caused the collision, so fault does not decide who owes the report. This answer carries over the intuition that liability and paperwork travel together, so the driver who was not at fault would owe nothing to DMV.

C. Only collisions that occur on public roads

The manual extends the filing rule to crashes on private property, so a parking lot or driveway collision still requires the SR 1. This answer applies the public-road default that governs most traffic rules, missing that SR 1 is one exception the manual calls out for private property.

The Rule

This question tests your knowledge of Crash Procedures in California. Source: California Driver Manual, "Reporting a Collision," p.78..

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