To go along with the theme of reducing fraud in automobile accidents, the legislature changed the statute regarding accident reports. The idea is to somehow make sure all people are accounted for in a vehicle and to have documentation. One problem is when phone numbers are not provided for involved parties and witnesses, it is difficult to track people down. The legislature always seems to get it half right. Most of the new additional language to the statute is below.
316.066 Written reports of crashes.—
(1)(a) A Florida Traffic Crash Report, Long Form must be completed and submitted to the department within 10 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 s. 316.061(1) or s. 316.193;
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.
(b) 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.