When a crash happens, do you know the guidelines on who to report to, and when?
As of Jan. 1, a Highway Traffic Act regulation has been amended, raising the threshold to report a collision involving property damage to police to $5,000.
The threshold beforehand was $2,000.
The province indicated the change was to reduce the administrative burden on drivers, as well as police services. But there are other reasons for the switch.
The change is "reflecting the rising costs of vehicle repairs due to inflation and more advanced automotive technology which costs more to replace," said a spokesperson with Accident Support Services International (ASSI), a privately-owned company that oversees collision reporting services.
"It's important that drivers understand it's combined damage and not per vehicle," said Victoria Ruffolo, ASSI's process and development manager, in an email.
"Despite this change, all citizens can report at the Collision Reporting Centre regardless of the extent of damage to facilitate their insurance claim and ensure that the necessary information is documented & recorded for their protection."
Guelph police spokesperson Scott Tracey, who has experience as a police dispatcher, doesn’t believe it’ll significantly reduce calls for service.
“Even at $5,000 – split between two vehicles – the new threshold is quite low and certainly not difficult to achieve any time there is a collision,” he said.
“A good rule of thumb for drivers is any time they are involved in a collision and there is visible damage, it should be reported to the Collision Reporting Centre (assuming the vehicles are driveable) and staff there can determine whether it is reportable. And certainly any time there is damage to other property -- such as a fence or building – or any injuries they must be reported for an officer to attend in person.”
Guelph police Sgt. Shawn Dunsmoor said no matter the damage amount, you need to report to police if the crash resulted in an injury, “if either vehicle is ‘undriveable,’ if it involves a cyclist or pedestrian, or if the collision involves damage to public/city property.”
