Henderson daily dispatch., 1937-06-23
DRIVERS REQUIRED
TO REPORT WRECKS
individuals Involved in Ac-
cidents Must List 1t I'm
der New Law
Daily DI~pHt~n BWren1.
O" the Sir Waller Hotel

bsU
Raleigh June 23.-Drivers inyOlv-
ed in automobile accidents must now
make report of these accidents with
in "a hours after their occurrence or
be guilty of a misdemeanor, under
the terms Of new law enacted by the
1887 General Assembly and already in
effect, it was pointed out here TODAY
by Director Arthur Fulk of the high
way safety division of the Depart
ment of Revenue. There are indica-
tons that this new provision, con-
tanned in Section 1913 of the revised
motor vehicle laws, is not yet general
ly understood and is being violated
daily by hundreds of motorists who
are failing to report accidents as the
law requires, Director Fulk said
This law requires that all accidents
in which any persons is injured or
killed, or in which the property dam
age exceeds SO must be reported at
once to the police, if the accidents is
in city or town, or otherwise direct
10 the highway safety division of the
Department of Revenue, Fulk pointed
out. The police departments of every
city and town are required in turn to
report the accidents reported to them
to the highway safety division on and
after the fifth of every month
Drivers of motor trucks, buses, or
other common carriers, are also re-
quired to make reports of any acct
dents in which they may be involved
All coroncrs are also required to
make a report by the tenth of every
month of all deaths investigated ty
him resulting from automobile acct
dents with full details and circum-
stances of such accidents
All of the reports made under this
section of the law shall be for the use
of the department only and cannot
be used as evidence in any trial or
any criminal action that may result
from any of these accidents.
'"The primary purpose Of the law
is to provide the highway safety di-
vision with more information con-
corning accidents ard to assure the
reporting of more accidents" Director
Fulk said.
Until this new law was enacted,
only law enforcement officers were
re. Iuired to report accidents-but
there were hundreds if not thousands
of accidents which they missed be-
cause they did not happen to be pre-
sent when they occurred, or because
those involved agreed to settle the
damages out of court" Fulk said. 1--WE
know for instance, that owners of
cars damaged in accidents frequently
refrain from reporting accidents to
the police if the drivers responsible
for the accident will agree to pay for
all the damage. The result is that lit
orally thousands of accidents are
never reported to the police and hence
not reported to us, in the course of
{, year.
But under this new law now in
effect, drivers will be subject to ar
rest and prosecution unless they do
report all accidents-yet these reports
cannot be used against them in court
In other words, the best way for :,
driver involved in minor accident
to keep from going to court is to
make a full report of the accident
within "a hours, either to the police,
If it occurred in a city or town with
police department, or direct to us
here in the highway safety division.
For the law expressly prohibits the
lHc of any of these reports as es'-
d. nee against any of the drivers in
voy ed in the accidents reported
There is nothing in the law rf
&C rse, to prevent ny driver from
svt airing out a Warrant against any
CHE criver for reckless careless II
d. u"i:cn driving or preventing polic''
o. highway patroi ale:: from max 'nt
Il eli: own inves.is atoms of accidents
ARD bringing what aver charges 1hcv
TIN k fitting. Director Fulk pointed
out. But the reror,s made by the
drivers of their own accidents cal :
mr.. and will not be adrnittcI as evil
de- ce in any coict action resulting
from an automobile accident
Forms for the rep2:ling of acct
| dents will he furnished by the high
| way safety division to individuals,
police officers, coroners. sheriffs ana
other officers upon application.
Frog farms, we read, are develop