Senate Study Bill 3203 - Introduced SENATE FILE _____ BY (PROPOSED COMMITTEE ON JUDICIARY BILL BY CHAIRPERSON KREIMAN) A BILL FOR An Act relating to vehicular accident reporting requirements 1 by increasing the minimum amount of property damage 2 necessitating a written report. 3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 4 TLSB 6206XC (2) 83 dea/nh

S.F. _____ Section 1. Section 321.266, subsection 2, Code 2009, is 1 amended to read as follows: 2 2. The driver of a vehicle involved in an accident resulting 3 in injury to or death of any person, or total property damage 4 to an apparent extent of one thousand five hundred dollars 5 or more shall, within seventy-two hours after the accident, 6 forward a written report of the accident to the department. 7 However, such report is not required when the accident is 8 investigated by a law enforcement agency. 9 Sec. 2. Section 321G.10, Code 2009, is amended to read as 10 follows: 11 321G.10 Accident reports. 12 If a snowmobile is involved in an accident resulting in 13 injury or death to anyone or property damage amounting to one 14 thousand dollars or more, either the operator or someone acting 15 for the operator shall immediately notify the county sheriff or 16 another law enforcement agency in the state. If the accident 17 occurred on public land or ice under the jurisdiction of the 18 commission, the operator shall file with the commission a 19 report of the accident, within seventy-two hours, containing 20 information as the commission may require. All For all other 21 accidents shall be reported as required under resulting in 22 injury or death or property damage amounting to one thousand 23 dollars or more, the operator shall forward a written report 24 to the department of transportation within seventy-two hours, 25 unless the accident is investigated by a law enforcement agency 26 as provided in section 321.266. 27 Sec. 3. Section 321I.11, Code 2009, is amended to read as 28 follows: 29 321I.11 Accident reports. 30 If an all-terrain vehicle is involved in an accident 31 resulting in injury or death to anyone or property damage 32 amounting to one thousand dollars or more, either the operator 33 or someone acting for the operator shall immediately notify 34 the county sheriff or another law enforcement agency in 35 -1- LSB 6206XC (2) 83 dea/nh 1/ 2

S.F. _____ the state. If the accident occurred on public land or ice 1 under the jurisdiction of the commission, the operator shall 2 file with the commission a report of the accident, within 3 seventy-two hours, containing information as the commission 4 may require. All For all other accidents shall be reported 5 as required resulting in injury or death or property damage 6 amounting to one thousand dollars or more, the operator shall 7 forward a written report to the department of transportation 8 within seventy-two hours, unless the accident is investigated 9 by a law enforcement agency as provided in section 321.266. 10 EXPLANATION 11 Under current law, if a vehicular accident results in 12 property damage to an apparent extent of $1,000 or more, the 13 driver of a vehicle involved in the accident is required to 14 file a written report of the accident with the department 15 of transportation within 72 hours, unless the accident is 16 investigated by a law enforcement officer. This bill increases 17 the amount of property damage triggering the need for an 18 accident report to $1,500. 19 Current requirements for the reporting of snowmobile and 20 all-terrain vehicle accidents, which contain a threshold damage 21 amount of $1,000, are not changed under the bill. However, the 22 bill contains conforming amendments to Code sections 321G.10 23 and 321I.11 in order to preserve the current accident reporting 24 requirements of those sections. 25 -2- LSB 6206XC (2) 83 dea/nh 2/ 2