A 3-minute lesson from the Tennessee course. Read the rules and examples, follow the handbook page references, and check your understanding before you move on.
A crash is any collision with another vehicle, person or object. The law requires you to stop, help keep others safe, report it and exchange information. What you do in the first minutes can prevent fires, second crashes and legal trouble.
Know the rule
Stop immediately at the scene, or as close as possible without blocking traffic. Turn off the damaged car's ignition to prevent fire; if a car is burning, help people out and away.
The $400 reportable-crash threshold is damage to the property of any one person, including yourself. The report is required regardless of who is at fault.
If the driver is physically unable to report, a capable passenger must. Report forms come from the Department's website, any Highway Patrol office, or local police or sheriff. Not reporting can suspend driving and registration privileges.
Arriving first at a crash? Call 911. If you're not trained to give aid, keep driving slowly so you don't block rescuers or cause a secondary crash by 'accident gazing.' If you saw it happen, pull safely off, turn on flashers and tell the officer.
You back into a parked car in a lot and cause about $600 in damage. Leave your information and call police, since damage is over $50 — and file an Owner/Driver Report with the Department within 20 days, since it's over $400.
Check your understanding
Read the question, decide on an answer, then open it to check the explanation. These are Roadwise study questions based on the source handbook.
If you are involved in a crash, the law requires you to:
Drive to the nearest police station first
Stop at or near the scene without blocking traffic
Stop only if damage is over $1,000
Leave a note and drive on
Answer: Stop at or near the scene without blocking traffic
The law requires drivers involved in a crash to stop immediately at the scene or as close to it as possible.