Frequently Asked Questions

No. Pursuant to section 316.066(1)(f), Florida Statutes, either the long-form or short-form crash reports prepared by law enforcement must be submitted to FLHSMV and may be maintained by the law enforcement officer’s agency.

A Florida Traffic Crash Report, Long Form must be completed and submitted to the department within ten days after an investigation is completed by the law enforcement officer who, in the regular course of duty, investigates a motor vehicle crash that:

1. Resulted in death of, personal injury to, or any indication of complaints of pain or discomfort by any of the parties or passengers involved in the crash;
2. Involved a violation of sections 316.061(1) (leaving the scene of crash with an attended vehicle or property) or 316.193 (driving under the influence), Florida Statutes;
3. Rendered a vehicle inoperable to a degree that required a wrecker to remove it from the scene of the crash; or
4. Involved a commercial motor vehicle.

The Florida Traffic Crash Report, Long Form must include:

1. The date, time, and location of the crash.
2. A description of the vehicles involved.
3. The names and addresses of the parties involved, including all drivers and passengers, and the identification of the vehicle in which each was a driver or a passenger.
4. The names and addresses of witnesses.
5. The name, badge number, and law enforcement agency of the officer investigating the crash.
6. The names of the insurance companies for the respective parties involved in the crash.

In any crash for which a Florida Traffic Crash Report, Long Form is not required, the law enforcement officer may complete a short-form crash report or provide a driver exchange-of-information form to be completed by all drivers and passengers involved in the crash.

The short-form report must include:

1. The date, time, and location of the crash.
2. A description of the vehicles involved.
3. The names and addresses of the parties involved, including all drivers and passengers, and the identification of the vehicle in which each was a driver or a passenger.
4. The names and addresses of witnesses.
5. The name, badge number, and law enforcement agency of the officer investigating the crash.
6. The names of the insurance companies for the respective parties involved in the crash.

No. In accordance with section 316.066, Florida Statutes, crash reports are confidential and exempt for a period of sixty-days.  During this period, only the specific entities identified in section 316.066(2), Florida Statutes, can obtain a copy of the report.  These entities include both the parties involved in the crash and their licensed insurance agents.  For a complete list of entities, please refer to section 316.066, Florida Statutes. After sixty-days, all crash reports are public record and can be released. 

Timely is defined as received by FLHSMV within ten days of the date of the crash. FLHSMV has established this policy in accordance with sections 321.23 and 324.051, Florida Statutes.

Crash reports sold prior to or during this timeframe can only be sold to those individuals who meet one of the exceptions required by statute. A purchaser must disclose the exemption on the webpage and provide their driver license number. Additionally, requestors must perform an attestation and, if false information is provided, the requestor faces the penalty of perjury.

No.

Yes.  Non-sworn sheriff’s office or police department officers who have successfully completed instruction in traffic enforcement procedures and court presentation may complete a crash report. This instruction must be approved by the Division of Criminal Justice Standards and Training of the Department of Law Enforcement.

Yes. If a crash report has been submitted to FLHSMV, regardless if the investigation is complete or not, it can be provided as a public record request, if the party meets an exemption outlined in section 316.066, Florida Statutes.  After the 60-day confidential and exempt period, it can be provided to any requesting party.

Yes.  If an injured motorist (Inj. Severity 4, 3, 2, 1) listed on the Crash Report becomes deceased within 30 days, an update is required to amend the injury Severity Field to “(5 Fatal within 30 days)”.

No.  If an injured motorist (Injury Severity 4, 3, 2, 1) listed on the Crash report becomes deceased after 30 days because of a Motor Vehicle Related injury, the injury severity listed on the Crash Report will remain as reported in the original report. The officer should then update the narrative to explain the death being more than 30 days.

Yes.  If a motorist is listed as injury severity ”5” and becomes deceased from a non‐motor vehicle related cause (i.e. heart attack, natural causes, suicide, homicide), an update to Injury Severity Field to “6‐Non‐Traffic Fatality” is required.

No.  A Florida Traffic Crash Report should only be completed if a motor vehicle is also involved. A motor vehicle is defined in section 316.003, Florida Statutes, as a self-propelled vehicle not operated upon rails or guideway, not including any bicycle, motorized scooter, electric personal assistive mobility device, swamp buggy, or moped.