Each state and local law enforcement agency shall submit to the Department of Transportation the original document of any accident report prepared by such law enforcement agency or submitted to such agency by a member of the public. If the Department of Driver Services receives a claim requesting determination of security, the Department of Transportation shall provide a copy or an electronic copy of any relevant accident reports to the Department of Driver Services. Any law enforcement agency may transmit the information contained on the accident report form by electronic means, provided that the Department of Transportation has first given approval to the reporting agency for the electronic reporting method utilized. The law enforcement agency shall retain a copy of each accident report. Any law enforcement agency that transmits the data by electronic means must transmit the data using a nonproprietary interchangeable electronic format and reporting method. For purposes of this Code section, the term "nonproprietary" shall include commonly used report formats. All such reports shall be submitted to the Department of Transportation within 14 days when electronically submitted and when not electronically submitted not more than 15 days following the end of the month in which such report was prepared or received by such law enforcement agency. The Department of Transportation is authorized to engage the services of a third party in fulfilling its responsibilities under this Code section.
(Code 1981, §40-9-31, enacted by Ga. L. 1994, p. 362, § 1; Ga. L. 1999, p. 871, § 1; Ga. L. 2000, p. 951, § 6-3; Ga. L. 2002, p. 415, § 40; Ga. L. 2005, p. 334, § 20-2/HB 501; Ga. L. 2011, p. 583, § 13/HB 137; Ga. L. 2015, p. 1072, § 7/SB 169.)
Code Commission notes.- Pursuant to Code Section 28-9-5, in 1999, the subsection (a) designation was deleted.
Editor's notes.- Former Code Section 40-9-31, concerning penalties for failure to report accident or giving false information in a report, was based on Ga. L. 1951, p. 565, § 14; Ga. L. 1977, p. 1014, § 1 and was repealed by Ga. L. 1990, p. 591, § 2, effective July 1, 1990.