South Carolina § 56-5-1270 Operators, owners, and law enforcement officers shall make written reports of certain accidents and investigations.

South Carolina Statutes

§ 56-5-1270 — Operators, owners, and law enforcement officers shall make written reports of certain accidents and investigations.

South Carolina § 56-5-1270

Title 56MOTOR VEHICLES

Ch. 5UNIFORM ACT REGULATING TRAFFIC ON HIGHWAYS

This text of South Carolina § 56-5-1270 (Operators, owners, and law enforcement officers shall make written reports of certain accidents and investigations.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering South Carolina primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook

S.C. Code Ann. § 56-5-1270 (2026).

Text

The operator or owner of a motor vehicle involved in an accident resulting in injury to or death of any person or total property damage to an apparent extent of one thousand dollars or more which was not investigated by a law enforcement officer, within fifteen days after the accident, shall forward a written report and verification of liability insurance coverage of the accident to the Department of Motor Vehicles, the proof and report to be in a manner prescribed by the Department of Motor Vehicles and the Department of Public Safety. The completed and verified form must be returned by the operator or owner to the Department of Motor Vehicles within fifteen days from the accident date. Failure to forward the accident report verified in the proper manner in respect to liability insurance 

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The operator or owner of a motor vehicle involved in an accident resulting in injury to or death of any person or total property damage to an apparent extent of one thousand dollars or more which was not investigated by a law enforcement officer, within fifteen days after the accident, shall forward a written report and verification of liability insurance coverage of the accident to the Department of Motor Vehicles, the proof and report to be in a manner prescribed by the Department of Motor Vehicles and the Department of Public Safety. The completed and verified form must be returned by the operator or owner to the Department of Motor Vehicles within fifteen days from the accident date. Failure to forward the accident report verified in the proper manner in respect to liability insurance coverage for the operation of the vehicle involved in the accident is prima facie evidence that the vehicle was uninsured. Every law enforcement officer who, in the regular course of duty, investigates a motor vehicle accident that results in injury to or death of any person or total property damage to an apparent extent of one thousand dollars or more either at the time of and at the scene of the accident or after the accident by interviewing participants or witnesses, within twenty-four hours after completing the investigation, must forward a written report of the accident to the Department of Motor Vehicles including the names of interviewed participants and witnesses. If a two-wheeled motorized vehicle is involved in the accident and the operator or a passenger of the vehicle suffers a head injury, the injury must be indicated on the report.

Legislative History

HISTORY: 1962 Code SECTION 46-327; 1952 Code SECTION 46-327; 1949 (46) 466; 1968 (55) 2591; 1971 (57) 297; 1977 Act No. 195 SECTION 1; 1988 Act No. 665, SECTION 1; 1996 Act No. 459, SECTION 182.