Chap. 432.—An ACT to amend and re-enact Sections 57 and 59, as heretofore
amended, of Chapter 342 of the Acts of the General Assembly of 1932, approved
March 26, 1932, and therein designated as the Motor Vehicle Code of Virginia,
said Section 57 relating to duty to stop in event of accident; Section 59 to
reports of accidents; so as to require persons striking unattended vehicles to
leave identification on vehicle damaged and requiring other persons to make
reports of accidents, and revising the type of report to be made when accidents

occur. | [fH B 435]
. | Approved April 6, 1942

1. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia, That sec-
tions fifty-seven and fifty-nine, as heretofore amended, 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 therein designated as the Motor Vehicle Code of
Virginia, be amended and re-enacted so as to read, as follows: |

Section 57. Duty to stop in event of accident—(a) The driver of
any vehicle involved in an accident resulting in injuries to or death of any
person, or damage to property, shall immediately stop at the scene of
such accident or as close thereto as is possible without obstructing traffic
and give to the person struck and injured, or to the driver or some other
occupant of the vehicle collided with, his name, address, operator’s or
chauffeur’s license number, and the registration number of his vehicle.

If the damage is to an unattended vehicle or to some other object, the
driver shall make a reasonable effort to find the owner or person in charge
of such property, or shall leave a note in a conspicuous place giving him
the information hereinbefore required, and in addition shall report the
accident in writing to the director of the division of motor vehicles or to
the chief-of police if the accident occurred in a city or town irrespective
of the damage involved. ‘The driver shall also render to any person
injured in such accident, reasonable assistance, including the carrying of
694. ACTS OF ASSEMBLY | [va., 1942

such injured person to a physician, surgeon or hospital for medical or
surgical treatment if it is apparent that such treatment is necessary or is
requested by the injured person.

(b) It shall be the duty of any occupant, witness, or other person
having knowledge of such an accident to furnish as much of the informa-
tion hereinbefore required as possible if the driver is unable or unwilling
to furnish it.

(c) Any person violating this section shall be punished in accord-
ance with section fifty-eight of this act.

Section 59. Reports of accidents.—(a) The driver of any vehicle
involved in any accident resulting in injury to or death of any person
shall immediately by the quickest means of communication give notice of
such accident to the local police department if such accident occurs within
a municipality, otherwise to the nearest eines of the State Police, or the
office of the county sheriff.

(b) Every person holding the office nf coroner in this State upon
learning of the death of a person in his jurisdiction as a result of a traffic
accident shall immediately notify the nearest office of the State Police.

(c) The driver of a vehicle involved in an accident resulting in
injury to or death of any person or total property damage to an apparent
extent of ten dollars ($10) or more shall within twenty-four (24) hours
after such accident forward a written report of such accident to the
division. The division may require any driver of a vehicle involved in any
accident of which report must be made as provided in this section to file
supplemental reports whenever the original report is insufficient in the
opinion of the division and may require witnesses of accidents to render
reports to the division. Every law enforcement officer who in the course
of duty investigates a motor vehicle accident, of which report must be
made as provided-in this section, either at the time of and at the scene of
the accident or thereafter by interviewing participants or witnesses, shall,
within twenty-four (24) hours after completing such investigation, for-
ward a written report of such accident to the division. Whenever the
driver of a vehicle is physically incapable of making an immediate or a
written report of an accident as required in this section, and there was
another occupant in the vehicle at the time of the accident capable of
making a report, such occupant shall make. or cause to be. made said
reports not made by the driver.

(d) The division shall prepare and upon request supply to police
departments, coroners, sheriffs, garages, and other suitable agencies or
individuals, forms for accident reports required hereunder, appropriate
with respect to the persons required to make such reports and the pur-
poses to be served. The written reports to be made by persons involved in
accidents and by investigating officers shall call for sufficiently detailed
information to disclose with reference to a traffic accident the cause,
conditions then existing, and the persons and vehicles involved.

_ Every accident report required to be made in writing shall be made
on the appropriate form approved by the division and shall contain all
of the information required therein unless not available.
cHs. 432, 433] ACTS ‘OF ASSEMBLY: 695:

-(e) Every coroner or other official performing like functions shall
on or before the tenth day of each month report in writing to the division
the death of any person within his jurisdiction during the proceeding
calendar month as the result of an accident involving a motor vehicle and
the circumstances of such accident.

(f) All accident reports made by persons involved in accidents or
by garages shall be without prejudice to the individual so reporting and
shall be for the confidential use of the division or other State agencies
having use for the records for accident prevention purposes, except that
the division may disclose the identity of a person involved in an accident
when such identity is not otherwise known or when such person denies
his presence at such accident. No such report shall be used as evidence
in any trial, civil or criminal, arising out of an accident, except that the
division shall furnish upon demand of any person who has, or claims to
have, made such a report or, upon demand of any court, a certificate
showing that a specified accident report has or has not been made to the
division solely to prove a compliance or a failure to comply with the
requirement that such a report be made to the division.

All accident reports made by investigating officers shall be for the
confidential use of the division or other State or Federal agencies for
accident prevention purposes. No such report shall be used as evidence
in any trial, civil or criminal, arising out of any accident. The division
shall, however, disclose from such reports upon request of any person the
date, time, and location of the accident, and the names and addresses of
the drivers, the owners of the vehicles involved, injured persons, witnesses
and the name of the investigating officer.

The division shall tabulate and analyze all accident reports and shall
publish annually, or at more frequent intervals, statistical information
based thereon as to the number and circumstances of traffic accidents.
Based upon its findings after such analysis, the division may conduct
further necessary detailed research to more fully determine the cause and
control of highway accidents. It may further conduct experimental field
tests within areas of the State from time to time to prove the practicability
of various ideas advanced in traffic control and accident prevention.

(g) Any incorporated city or town may by ordinance require that
the driver of a vehicle involved in an accident shall also file with a desig-
nated city department a report of such accident or a copy of any report
herein required to be filed with the division. All such reports shall be for
the confidential use of the city department and subject to the provisions
of subsection (f) of this act. - -