Vehicles: accident reports.

Plain English Breakdown

The bill summary and digest text indicate that no substantive changes were made to when drivers must report accidents or the penalties for not reporting them.

Vehicle Accident Reports

AB-1499 makes minor adjustments to the rules for reporting vehicle accidents that cause property damage over $1,000 or result in injury or death.

What This Bill Does

• Makes technical and nonsubstantive changes to existing laws about accident reports.

Who It Names or Affects

• Drivers who are involved in accidents causing property damage over $1,000 or resulting in injury or death.
• The Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV)

Terms To Know

Infraction

A minor violation of the law that is less serious than a misdemeanor.

Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV)

The government agency in charge of vehicle registration, driver's licenses, and traffic laws.

Limits and Unknowns

• It is unclear if the bill will be signed into law since it died at the governor's desk on February 2, 2026.
• Does not change when drivers must report an accident or the consequences for failing to do so.

Official Summary Text

AB 1499, as introduced, Essayli.
Vehicles: accident reports.
Existing law requires the driver of a motor vehicle who is involved in an accident that results in damage to the property of a person in excess of $1,000, or in death or bodily injury, to report the accident to the Department of Motor Vehicles within 10 days after the accident, as specified. A violation of these provisions is punishable as an infraction.
This bill would make technical, nonsubstantive changes to these provisions.

Current Bill Text

Download Bill PDF