Rhode Island § 31-26-13 - Accidents and Accident Reports

§ 31-26-13. Reports confidential — Use as evidence.

(a) All motorist accident reports made by persons involved in accidents, pursuant to § 31-26-6, or by garages, pursuant to § 31-26-12, shall be without prejudice to the individual so reporting and shall be for the confidential use of the division of motor vehicles or other state or municipal agencies having use for the records for accident prevention purposes or for the administration of the laws of this state relating to the deposit of security and proof of financial responsibility by persons driving or the owners of motor vehicles.

(b) The division of motor vehicles may disclose the identity of a person involved in an accident when the identity is not otherwise known or when the person denies his or her presence at the accident, and except that the reports, as well as police reports, may be used by the division of motor vehicles, together with any other evidence that the division of motor vehicles may deem appropriate, to make determinations as to the reasonable possibility of a judgment being rendered for purposes of requiring security after an accident involving one or more uninsured motorists.

(c) No report shall be used as evidence in any trial, civil or criminal, arising out of an accident, except that the division of motor vehicles shall furnish upon demand of any person who has, or claims to have, made a report or upon demand of any court, a certificate showing that a specified accident report has or has not been made to the division of motor vehicles solely to prove a compliance or a failure to comply with the requirement that a report be made to the division. Provided, that in the event an accident report has not been filed, then the failure to file the report shall be considered to be prima facie evidence that the operator and/or the registered owner of the motor vehicle involved was uninsured at the time of the accident.