Car Accident Reference and Atlanta Firm Directory

Georgia crash reports and requests

Last updated . Sources checked

Contents
  1. When notice is required
  2. Getting a copy
  3. Requesting related material
  4. Related entries
  5. References

A Georgia crash report is a law-enforcement record of a reported collision. GDOT identifies the Georgia Motor Vehicle Crash Report, GDOT-523, as the official document used to collect and disseminate crash data. The report is different from statewide dashboard statistics and from an insurer's claim file.[1]

When notice is required

O.C.G.A. 40-6-273 requires immediate notice to the appropriate police authority when a crash causes injury, death or apparent property damage of $500 or more. That threshold concerns reporting the crash, not a determination of civil damages. A driver should not postpone required notice while waiting for an insurer to estimate repair costs.[2]

Getting a copy

GDOT directs report requests to BuyCrash or to a mailed request using its request form. For a crash investigated by the Georgia State Patrol, DPS also identifies local posts and its Open Records Unit as request routes. DPS states that Georgia law specifies who may obtain a traffic crash report; access should not be described as unrestricted.[1][3]

Requesting related material

DPS asks requesters to identify the records sought and provide the incident date, location and report number if known. Its instructions separately discuss photographs and other records. Read a report with the collision manual when a field is unclear, and do not assume the report copy includes every record held by the investigating agency.[3][4]

References

  1. ab Crash reporting and report requests. Georgia Department of Transportation. https://www.dot.ga.gov/GDOT/pages/CrashReporting.aspx. official. Checked . Source record
  2. ^ O.C.G.A. 40-6-273: reporting crashes. Justia. https://law.justia.com/codes/georgia/title-40/chapter-6/article-12/section-40-6-273/. independent. Checked . Source record
  3. ab How to submit an open records request. Georgia Department of Public Safety. https://dps.georgia.gov/ask-us/how-do-i-submit-open-records-request. official. Checked . Source record
  4. ^ Georgia crash manual: collision details. Georgia Department of Transportation. https://crashmanual.dot.ga.gov/SectionContent/CollisionDetails. official. Checked . Source record