Chap. 344.—An ACT to amend and re-enact section 59 of chapter 342 of the Acts
of the General Assembly of 1932, approved March 26, 1932, and known,
designated and cited as the Motor Vehicle Code of Virginia, relating to
reports of accidents, so as to permit the inspection of such reports at any
reasonable time. [H B 339]

Approved March 27, 1936

1. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia, That section
fifty-nine of chapter three hundred and forty-two of the Acts of the
General Assembly of nineteen hundred and thirty-two, approved
March twenty-sixth, nineteen hundred and thirty-two, and known,
designated and cited as the Motor Vehicle Code of Virginia, be
amended and re-enacted so as to read as follows:

Section 59. Reports of accidents. (a) The driver of any vehicle
involved in any accident resulting in injuries or death to any person
or property damage to an apparent extent of ten dollars or more, shall
within twenty-four hours file or cause to be filed a report of such
accident with the division, except that when such accident occurs with-
in a city such report shall be made within twenty-four hours to the
police department of such city. Every police department shall forward
on the fifth day of each month every such report received during the
previous calendar month, or a copy thereof, so filed with it to the main
office of the division. All accident reports shall be made on forms
approved by the division. With respect to any such accident involving
a collision between any common carrier and another vehicle, such
common carrier shall also make a report of the accident to the division,
such report to be filed on or before the tenth day of the month follow-
ing the accident.

(b) Where a person required to report an accident by the pre-
ceding subsection is physically incapable of making such report, and
there is another occupant in the vehicle at the time of the accident, such
occupant shall make the report.

The division may require drivers, or common carriers involved in
accidents to file supplemental reports and may require witnesses of
accidents to render reports to it upon forms furnished by it whenever
the original report is insufficient in the opinion of the division.

All accident reports together with all supplemental reports above
mentioned shall be without prejudice and shall be for the use of the
division and shall not be used in any manner whatsoever as evidence,
or, for any other purpose in any trial, civil or criminal arising out of
such accident. Provided, however, that all reports made by state, city
or county police shall be subject to inspection by members of the gen-
eral public at all reasonable times. The division shall be required to
furnish upon demand of any court, a properly executed certificate
stating that a specific accident report has or has not been filed with the
division solely to prove a compliance with this section.

(c) The division shall prepare and shall upon request supply to
police, coroners, sheriffs and other suitable agencies, or individuals,
forms for accident reports calling for sufficiently detailed information
to disclose with reference to a highway accident the cause, conditions
then existing, and the persons and vehicles involved.

The division shall receive accident reports required to be made by
this chapter and may tabulate and analyze such reports and publish
annually, or at more frequent intervals, statistical information based
thereon as to the number, cause and location of highway accidents.

Based upon its findings after such analysis, the division may con-
duct further necessary detailed research to more fully determine the
cause and control of highway accidents. It may further conduct experi-
mental field tests within areas of the State from time to time to prove
the practicability of various ideas advanced in trafhce control and
accident prevention.

(d) Every person holding the office of coroner in this State shall
on the tenth day of each month report to the division the death of
any person during the preceding calendar month as the result of an
accident involving a motor vehicle and the circumstances of such
accident.