HF 2195 (LSB 5833YH (7) 89)

HOUSE FILE 2195

BY  GJERDE, THORUP, and McCLINTOCK

A BILL FOR

An Act relating to written reports required if a driver is involved in an accident resulting in injury, death, or property damage.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:

    Section 1.  Section 321.266, subsection 2, Code 2022, is amended to read as follows:
   2.  The driver of a vehicle involved in an accident resulting in injury to or death of any person, or total property damage to an apparent extent of one five thousand five hundred dollars or more, shall, within seventy-two hours after the accident, forward a written report of the accident to the department. However, such report is not required when the accident is investigated by a law enforcement agency.
EXPLANATION
The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with
the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly.
   Under current law, the driver of a vehicle involved in an accident resulting in injury to or death of any person, or total property damage to an apparent extent of $1,500 or more, must, within 72 hours after the accident, forward a written report of the accident to the department of transportation (DOT). However, such report is not required when the accident is investigated by a law enforcement agency.
   This bill increases the total apparent property damage threshold to $5,000.
   Similar reports are required when the vehicle involved in an accident is a snowmobile (Code section 321G.10) or an all-terrain vehicle (Code section 321I.11). The bill does not increase the $1,500 property damage threshold for these reports.
   A person who fails to forward a written accident report to the DOT commits a simple misdemeanor under Code section 321.482. A simple misdemeanor is punishable by confinement for no more than 30 days and a fine of at least $105 but not more than $855.