Most drivers know to swap insurance details. Far fewer know that Pennsylvania places a reporting duty on them when police do not attend — and that missing it by five days can put their licence at risk.
At the scene
- Check for injuries and call 911 if anyone is hurt.
- Make the scene safe. Hazard lights on, and move vehicles out of live traffic if they can be driven and it is safe to do so.
- Call the police if there is any injury, any significant damage, or any disagreement about what happened.
- Exchange details with every driver involved.
- Photograph everything before anything moves.
- Get witness details — names and phone numbers, taken at the scene.
Do not discuss fault at the roadside. Apologising is a human reflex and it gets quoted back later. Exchange information, be civil, and let the evidence establish what happened.
What to gather
| Item | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Other driver’s name, address and phone number | Basic identification |
| Their insurer and policy number | Photograph the card rather than transcribing |
| Their licence plate and vehicle details | Confirms the vehicle involved |
| Their driver’s licence number | Confirms who was actually driving |
| Photographs of both vehicles, wide and close | Establishes damage and position |
| Photographs of the road, signs and signals | Establishes context and conditions |
| Witness names and numbers | They disperse quickly and are hard to trace later |
| Officer name and report number, if police attend | Needed to obtain the report |
Take more photographs than feels necessary. Wide shots showing the position of both vehicles are more useful than close-ups of a dent, and nobody has ever regretted having too many.
When Pennsylvania requires a report
An accident must be reported to law enforcement where it results in injury or death, or where property damage exceeds $1,000 or is severe enough that a vehicle cannot be driven safely away.
The $1,000 threshold is lower than it sounds. A modern bumper assembly with sensors in it clears that figure comfortably, which means a great many collisions that look trivial at the roadside are reportable.
The duty most drivers do not know about
Here is the part that catches people. If an accident that should have been investigated is not investigated by police, the obligation transfers to the drivers.
Each driver must forward a written report to PennDOT within five days of the accident. The form is the Driver’s Accident Report, Form AA-600, mailed to PennDOT’s Bureau of Highway Safety and Traffic Engineering in Harrisburg. Failure to file can result in suspension of your driving privileges.
This arises more often than you would expect. Police departments do not always attend minor collisions, particularly on private property or where nobody reports an injury at the time. Officers leaving without taking a report does not discharge the duty — it moves it to you.
Telling your insurer
Report promptly even if the accident was not your fault, and even if you do not intend to claim. Notifying is not claiming, and most policies require prompt notice as a condition of coverage.
Delay hands an insurer an argument about late notice that has nothing to do with the merits of what happened.
Which coverage does what
| Coverage | Pays for | Whose policy |
|---|---|---|
| Medical benefits (first party) | Your initial medical costs, regardless of fault | Yours |
| Liability | Injury and damage you caused to others | The at-fault driver |
| Collision | Repairs to your own vehicle | Yours |
| Comprehensive | Non-collision damage — deer, fire, flood | Yours |
| Uninsured motorist | When the at-fault driver has no insurance | Yours |
| Underinsured motorist | When their limits run out before your losses do | Yours |
The last two matter more than most drivers realise. Pennsylvania’s minimum liability is 15/30/5, so a perfectly legal driver may carry $15,000 for your injuries. Whether your own coverage multiplies across your vehicles depends on your stacking election — see stacked versus unstacked coverage.
How your tort election shapes the claim
Medical bills and lost wages are recoverable whichever option you chose. Pain and suffering is where the election bites: limited tort restricts that claim unless the injury meets the serious injury threshold, or one of the statutory exceptions applies.
Several of those exceptions are relevant here — an at-fault driver convicted of DUI, one driving a vehicle registered in another state, or one with no insurance at all. The full list is in full tort versus limited tort in Pennsylvania.
In the following days
- See a doctor even if you feel fine. Soft tissue injuries often present a day or two later, and a gap in treatment gets used against you.
- File the AA-600 if police did not investigate. Five days.
- Obtain the police report if they did.
- Keep every receipt — treatment, rental, towing, storage.
- Write down what happened while it is fresh.
- Check your registration and coverage are current, since a lapse complicates everything.
If the accident prompts a look at your coverage, we review declarations pages and shop rates across several carriers through our insurance service in Bethlehem. The form itself is published by PennDOT as the Driver’s Accident Report, Form AA-600.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to report a car accident in Pennsylvania?
You must report an accident to law enforcement where it results in injury, death, or property damage severe enough that a vehicle cannot be driven safely from the scene. Pennsylvania sets a property damage threshold of more than $1,000.
What is Form AA-600?
It is the Pennsylvania Driver’s Accident Report. If an accident that should have been investigated is not investigated by police, each driver involved must forward a written report to PennDOT within five days of the accident.
What happens if I miss the five-day deadline?
Failing to file a required accident report can lead to suspension of your driving privileges. It is an easy obligation to overlook precisely because most people assume the police handle everything.
Should I call the police for a minor accident?
It is usually the safer choice. Damage that looks minor at the roadside frequently is not once a bumper comes off, and a police report removes any argument about what happened. If they decline to attend, the AA-600 duty may apply to you.
Should I tell my insurer even if the accident was not my fault?
Yes. Reporting is not the same as claiming, and most policies require prompt notice regardless of fault. Delayed notice gives an insurer grounds to argue about coverage later.
Does my tort election affect what I can recover?
Yes. If you elected limited tort, your ability to recover for pain and suffering is restricted unless your injury meets the serious injury threshold or one of the statutory exceptions applies. Your medical bills and lost wages are recoverable either way.
Not sure your coverage would hold up?
Bring your declarations page in and we will read it with you — tort election, stacking, and the limits that actually matter after a crash. Hablamos Español.