The SR-1: California's accident report to the DMV

Ten days, $1,000, any injury. The SR-1 is the driver's report to the DMV, separate from the police and the insurer — and for an uninsured driver it is the start of a suspension and an SR-22.

The SR-1 is California's accident report to the DMV

The SR-1 is not an insurance form and it is not a police report. It is the report a driver owes the Department of Motor Vehicles after certain accidents, under Vehicle Code section 16000. The duty is the driver's, and the clock is short: the driver of a vehicle involved in an accident that caused property damage “in excess of one thousand dollars ($1,000), or in bodily injury, or in the death of any person shall report the accident, within 10 days.”

The DMV's own page puts the same rule in one line and adds the part people miss: “An SR-1 report is required in addition to any other report made to the police, CHP, or your insurance company.” A police report at the scene does not file the SR-1 for you, and neither does a claim with your insurer.

When you have to file one

Three triggers, any one of which is enough:

• Anyone was injured — the statute says bodily injury, and the DMV adds “no matter how minor the injury.”
• Anyone was killed.
• Property damage to any one person was over $1,000. The threshold is per person, not combined, and modern repair costs put most collisions above it.

The accident has to have originated from driving on a street or highway, or be a reportable off-highway accident as section 16000.1 defines it. Vehicles owned, leased or directed by the United States, the state, another state or a local agency are outside the rule.

Who files it

The driver files, “either personally or through an insurance agent, broker, or legal representative.” Every driver involved has the duty, not only the one at fault, and the form asks you to name anyone complaining of injury. If the driver is physically unable to report and does not own the vehicle, the owner must report as soon as they learn of the accident. If the vehicle was a driverless runaway parked with the owner's permission, the owner is treated as the driver.

Driving for work

A driver in an employer's vehicle, with permission, reports to the employer within five days on the employer's form, and the employer sends the DMV report within 10 days after receiving it — unless the vehicle is government-owned or the employer has a certificate on file.

What happens if you do not file

“The department shall suspend the driving privilege of any person who fails, refuses, or neglects to make a report of an accident as required.” That suspension lasts until the DMV receives the report, or receives evidence that financial responsibility was in effect.

There is a one-year edge. If none of the parties reports within a year of the accident, the DMV is not required to file a report on it, and the suspension rules for failing to report and for being uninsured do not apply. That is not a reason to wait; it is the reason the 10-day rule is enforced through the license rather than a fine.

The insurance question on the form

The SR-1 is how the DMV finds out whether each driver was insured. Your insurance information goes on the form, and the insurer named is asked to tell the DMV if the policy was not in effect at the time. To count, the policy had to meet the amounts in section 16056 — 15/30/5 for older policies, or 30/60/15 for policies issued or renewed on or after January 1, 2025 — and be written by an admitted insurer.

If you were not insured

This is where the SR-1 turns into an SR-22. When a report says a driver was not insured, the DMV mails a notice of intent to suspend, and the suspension takes effect 30 days later unless the driver proves coverage at the time of the accident. A hearing must be requested in writing within 10 days of receiving the notice.

The suspension cannot end until a full year has passed and the driver files proof of financial responsibility — the SR-22 — which must then be kept for three years or the suspension comes back. During the year, a driver who files proof and pays a $250 penalty fee can apply for a restricted license to drive to and from work, for work, or to take a dependent to school.

The California SR-22 page covers the filing itself, and accidents without insurance compares what other states do.

Who sees your report

The report is “without prejudice to the individual so reporting” and for the DMV's confidential use. The DMV can still disclose the basics — names and addresses, registration numbers and vehicle descriptions, the date, time and place, any suspension, and the insurers' names — to people with a proper interest, including the other drivers, anyone injured, owners of damaged property, law enforcement and courts.

How to file

The DMV takes the SR-1 online, with a printable PDF available; it notes that paper takes longer. Before starting, it asks you to have your license, your plate number or VIN, your insurance information, and the other party's vehicle and insurance details if you have them. Keep a copy and the date you sent it — the 10 days run from the accident, not from the day you learn the damage was over $1,000.

Common questions