New York · Handbook chapter 10 · 4 min read

What New York law requires at a crash scene, the information you must exchange, basic first aid, when and how to report a crash to the DMV within 10 days, and the insurance and penalty rules that follow.

Why this chapter matters

New York has more than 300,000 traffic crashes a year. The test checks whether you know that you must stop at every crash, what to exchange, and the $1,000 and 10-day reporting rules.

At the scene

• Always stop, however small the damage.
• Leaving the scene of a crash with only property damage is a traffic violation. Leaving the scene when someone is injured or killed is a crime, and a conviction brings a license revocation of at least six months.
• Exchange with the other drivers, and give to police at the scene:
• your name and address
• your driver license number
• your vehicle registration
• your insurance information, including the policy number and effective date
• Show your insurance identification card if asked.
• If you damage a parked vehicle or other property, or injure a domestic animal, try to find the owner or tell the police.
• If anyone is hurt or killed, notify the police immediately and make sure an ambulance has been called.
• If you can, move your vehicle off the road. Protect the scene with reflectors or flares, but watch for leaking fuel, and protect yourself from passing traffic.

Carrying an emergency kit with flares and first aid supplies is a good idea.

If you are not involved

Do not stop at a crash unless emergency help has not yet arrived. Keep your attention on driving and on directions from traffic officers.

Emergency first aid

• Do not move an injured person unless there is fire or another threat to life. If you must, keep the back and neck as straight as you can, support the neck with your upper arms, hold their clothing and pull them head first away from danger.
• Stay away from downed wires. If wires touch or lie near a vehicle, tell the people inside to stay in the vehicle until help arrives.

Reporting to the DMV

You must file a Report of Motor Vehicle Crash (MV-104) with the DMV within 10 days if the crash:

• caused a death or personal injury, or
• caused $1,000 or more in damage to the property of any one person.

Reporting to your insurance company does not replace the DMV report. Failing to report is a misdemeanor and can lead to suspension or revocation of your license and registrations, and those of the vehicle owner. If the driver is too injured to report, a passenger or the vehicle owner may file it. Failing to file a crash report also brings an indefinite suspension until the report is filed.

Other consequences

• If someone is killed in a crash you were in, the DMV can suspend or revoke your license after a hearing, even if you were not charged at the scene.
• Driving or letting someone drive an uninsured vehicle, or being in a crash without insurance, means a revocation of at least one year and a $750 civil penalty.