Pennsylvania § 3747 - Written report of accident by driver or owner.

§ 3747. Written report of accident by driver or owner.

(a) General rule.--If a police officer does not investigate an accident required to be investigated by section 3746 (relating to immediate notice of accident to police department), the driver of a vehicle which is in any manner involved in the accident shall, within five days of the accident, forward a written report of the accident to the department.

(b) Supplemental reports.--The department may require any driver of a vehicle involved in an accident of which written report must be made as provided in this section to file supplemental written reports whenever the original report is insufficient in the opinion of the department.

(c) Exception for disabled persons.--A written accident report is not required under this subchapter from any person who is physically incapable of making a report during the period of incapacity.

(d) Duty of owner if driver disabled.--Whenever the driver is physically incapable of making a written report of an accident as required in this section and the driver is not the owner of the vehicle, then the owner of the vehicle involved in the accident shall, within five days after the accident, make the report not made by the driver.

(e) Confidentiality of reports.--All written reports required in this section to be forwarded to the department by drivers or owners of vehicles involved in accidents shall be without prejudice to the individual so reporting and shall be for the confidential use of the department or any other governmental agency or their representatives having use for the records for accident prevention purposes, except that the department shall disclose the identity of a person involved in an accident when the identity is not otherwise known or when the person denies his presence at the accident and shall disclose whether any person or vehicle was covered by a vehicle insurance policy and the name of the insurer.

(f) Use of reports as evidence.--No accident reports forwarded under the provisions of this section shall be used as evidence in any trial, civil or criminal, arising out of an accident except that the department shall furnish upon demand of any party to the trial, or upon demand of any court, a certificate showing that a specified accident report has or has not been made to the department in compliance with the law and, if the report has been made, the date, time and location of the accident, the names and addresses of the drivers and the owners of the vehicles involved. The reports may be used as evidence when necessary to prosecute charges filed in connection with a violation of section 3748 (relating to false reports).

(g) Compliance with other laws required.--This section does not affect the duty of filing accident reports required by any other statute or regulations made thereunder.

Cross References. Section 3747 is referred to in section 3745.1 of this title.