Fig. 1 — The SR-1 decision: injury, death, or damage over the statutory amount means a written report to the DMV within 10 days.
Three reports, three different duties
After a collision, three separate reporting duties can apply — and they are easy to conflate. The scene duties are in Vehicle Code §§20001–20004. The SR-1 is the driver's own report to the DMV under §16000. The law-enforcement report duty is §20008. This file separates them, with the deadlines the statutes actually set.
The scene duties — stop, identify, aid, report
- Injury or death — the driver must stop immediately, provide identification, and render reasonable assistance (Vehicle Code §§20001, 20003). Leaving the scene of an injury collision is a crime.
- Property damage only — the driver must stop and exchange driver, vehicle, and insurance information, or report to police where that is not possible (Vehicle Code §20002).
- Death — where a collision results in death, the duty to report to the CHP or police is immediate (Vehicle Code §20004).
The SR-1 — the driver's own report to the DMV
Vehicle Code §16000 requires the driver of a vehicle involved in a collision to file a written report with the DMV within 10 days when the collision results in injury, death, or property damage over $1,000. The form is the SR-1. It is the driver's own report to the state — filed whether or not police responded, and regardless of fault. A police report, an insurance claim, or a CHP report does not satisfy the SR-1 duty.
The form can be filed online through the DMV or by mail. Failure to file carries its own consequences under the Vehicle Code, separate from anything else the collision sets in motion.
The law-enforcement report — 24 hours
Vehicle Code §20008 requires a written report to the CHP — or to the city police, for a collision within a city — within 24 hours where a collision involves injury or death and no officer investigated at the scene. On San Diego freeways that report is taken by the CHP Border Division; on city streets, by the San Diego Police Department. See the San Diego reporting file.
Financial responsibility — what California requires you to carry
Every driver must be able to show financial responsibility for a collision (Vehicle Code §§16000 et seq.), and must produce evidence of it when required (§§16020, 16028). The minimum liability limits, aligned with Insurance Code §11580.1b and raised by SB 1107, are $30,000 per person and $60,000 per accident for bodily injury, and $15,000 for property damage for policies issued or renewed on or after January 1, 2025. The claims file carries the full structure, including the older 15/30/5 policies still in force until renewal.
Reporting is not fault. Filing an SR-1 is a statutory duty, not an admission — and failing to file is its own separate problem. Report the collision; fault is decided elsewhere, later.