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                                                   HOUSE BILL NO. 1387

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State of Washington                              49th Legislature                              1986 Regular Session

By Representatives K. Wilson, Schmidt, Walk, Patrick, Zellinsky and J. Williams

Prefiled with Chief Clerk 1/10/86.  Read first time 1/13/86 and referred to Committee on Transportation.

AN ACT Relating to accident reports; and amending RCW 46.52.030.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

        Sec. 1.  Section 2, chapter 11, Laws of 1979 as last amended by section 1, chapter 30, Laws of 1981 and RCW 46.52.030 are each amended to read as follows:

          (1) The driver of any vehicle involved in an accident resulting in injury to or death of any person or damage to the property of any one person to an apparent extent ((of three hundred dollars or more)) greater than the minimum amount established by rule adopted by the chief of the Washington state patrol in accordance with subsection (4) of this section, shall, within twenty-four hours after such accident, make a written report of such accident to the chief of police of the city or town if such accident occurred within an incorporated city or town or the county sheriff or state patrol if such accident occurred outside incorporated cities and towns.

          (2) ((If such accident was not investigated by a law enforcement officer,)) The original of such report shall be immediately forwarded by the authority receiving such report to the chief of the Washington state patrol at Olympia, Washington, and the second copy of such report to be forwarded to the department of licensing at Olympia, Washington.

          (3) ((If such accident was investigated by a law enforcement officer, the original of each driver's report required by subsection (1) of this section shall be retained by the local law enforcement agency where the accident occurred, and the second copy shall be forwarded to the department of licensing at Olympia, Washington.

          (4) Any law enforcement officer who investigates an accident for which a driver's report is required under subsection (1) of this section shall submit an investigator's report as required by RCW 46.52.070.

          (5))) The chief of the Washington state patrol may require any driver of any vehicle involved in an accident, of which report must be made as provided in this section, to file supplemental reports whenever the original report in his opinion is insufficient, and may likewise require witnesses of any such accident to render reports.  For this purpose, the chief of the Washington state patrol shall prepare and, upon request, supply to any police department, coroner, sheriff, and any other suitable agency or individual, sample forms of accident reports required hereunder, which reports shall be upon a form devised by the chief of the Washington state patrol and shall call for sufficiently detailed information to disclose all material facts with reference to the accident to be reported thereon, including the location, the cause, the conditions then existing, and the persons and vehicles involved, personal injury or death, if any, the amounts of property damage claimed, the total number of vehicles involved, whether the vehicles were legally parked, legally standing, or moving, and whether such vehicles were occupied at the time of the accident.  Every required accident report shall be made on a form prescribed by the chief of the Washington state patrol and each authority charged with the duty of receiving such reports shall provide sufficient report forms in compliance with the form devised.  The report forms shall be designated so as to provide that a copy may be retained by the reporting person.

(4) The chief of the Washington state patrol shall promulgate rules establishing the accident reporting threshold for property damage accidents.  The accident reporting threshold for property damage accidents shall be revised when necessary, but not more frequently than every two years.  The revisions shall only be for the purpose of recognizing economic changes as reflected by an inflationary index recommended by the office of financial management.  The revisions shall be guided by the change in the index for the time period since the last revision.