Florida Statute 316.065 - Full Text and Legal Analysis

The 2025 Florida Statutes

Title XXIII
MOTOR VEHICLES

Chapter 316
STATE UNIFORM TRAFFIC CONTROL

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316.065 Crashes; reports; penalties.—

(1) The driver of a vehicle involved in a crash resulting in injury to or death of any persons or damage to any vehicle or other property in an apparent amount of at least $500 shall immediately by the quickest means of communication give notice of the crash to the local police department, if such crash occurs within a municipality; otherwise, to the office of the county sheriff or the nearest office or station of the Florida Highway Patrol. A violation of this subsection is a noncriminal traffic infraction, punishable as a nonmoving violation as provided in chapter 318.

(2) Every coroner or other official performing like functions, upon learning of the death of a person in his or her jurisdiction as the result of a traffic crash, shall immediately notify the nearest office or station of the department.

(3) Any person in charge of any garage or repair shop to which is brought any motor vehicle which shows evidence of having been struck by a bullet, or any other person to whom is brought for the purpose of repair a motor vehicle showing such evidence, shall make a report, or cause a report to be made, to the nearest local police station or Florida Highway Patrol office within 24 hours after the motor vehicle is received and before any repairs are made to the vehicle. The report shall contain the year, license number, make, model, and color of the vehicle and the name and address of the owner or person in possession of the vehicle.

(4) Any person who knowingly repairs a motor vehicle without having made a report as required by subsection (3) is guilty of a misdemeanor of the first degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082 or s. 775.083. The owner and driver of a vehicle involved in a crash who makes a report thereof in accordance with subsection (1) is not liable under this section.

(5) Subsection (1) does not apply to a fully autonomous vehicle operating with the automated driving system engaged in the event of a crash involving the vehicle if the vehicle owner, or a person on behalf of the vehicle owner, promptly contacts a law enforcement agency to report the crash or if the fully autonomous vehicle has the capability of alerting a law enforcement agency to the crash.

History.—s. 1, ch. 71-135; s. 1, ch. 72-164; s. 1, ch. 73-25; s. 11, ch. 76-31; s. 1, ch. 89-271; s. 299, ch. 95-148; s. 8, ch. 96-350; s. 87, ch. 99-248; s. 14, ch. 2012-197; s. 4, ch. 2019-101.

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Amendments to 316.065

Annotations, Discussions, Cases:

Civil Citations / Citable Offenses under S316.065

R or S next to points is Mandatory Revocation or Suspension

S316.065 CRASH - DRIVER failure to report crash (injury/death/property damage) $500 > to LEA - Points on Drivers License: 0

S316.065 (1) CRASH - DRIVER failure to report crash (injury/death/property damage) $500 > to LEA - Points on Drivers License: 0

Arrestable Offenses / Crimes under Fla. Stat. 316.065

Level: Degree
Misdemeanor/Felony: First/Second/Third

S316.065 4 - NONMOVING TRAFFIC VIOL - REPAIR VEHICLE W BULLET DAMAGE W/O REPORT - M: F

Cases Citing Statute 316.065

Total Results: 3 | Sort by: Relevance | Newest First

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State v. Ferguson, 405 So. 2d 294 (Fla. 4th DCA 1981).

Cited 7 times | Published | Florida 4th District Court of Appeal

...cidents. The section clearly was not intended to afford a suspected hit and run driver, whom the police eventually tracked down and questioned about the accident, with greater protection than is constitutionally required for other criminal suspects. Section 316.065, Florida Statutes, (1979) provides that the drivers of all vehicles involved in traffic accidents shall make immediate reports of these accidents to local police....

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Sottilaro v. Figueroa, 86 So. 3d 505 (Fla. 2d DCA 2012).

Cited 7 times | Published | Florida 2nd District Court of Appeal | 2012 Fla. App. LEXIS 1787, 2012 WL 385493

..., or damage to a vehicle); § 316.062(1) (requiring a driver to give his or her information to a police officer upon request when a crash results in injury or death); § 316.064(2) (requiring the occupant of a vehicle to make a report under sections 316.065 and .066 when the driver is physically incapable of making a report); § 316.064(3) (requiring the owner of a vehicle to make a report under chapter 316 when the driver is physically incapable); § 316.065(1) (requiring the driver of a vehicle involved in a crash resulting in injury or death to report the accident to the police); see also Brackin v....

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Sowerby v. State, 73 So. 3d 329 (Fla. 5th DCA 2011).

Published | Florida 5th District Court of Appeal | 2011 Fla. App. LEXIS 17204, 2011 WL 5109234

...The testimony reveals that although the plate was not within the brackets on the trunk of the car, it was mounted on the trunk and was “not higher than 60 inches and not lower than 12 inches from the ground and no more than 24 inches to the left or right of the centerline of the vehicle,” as required by section 316.065(1), Florida Statutes (2010)....

This Florida statute resource is curated by Graham W. Syfert, Esq., a Jacksonville, Florida personal injury and workers' compensation attorney. Attorney Syfert regularly works with Chapter 316 in the context of traffic and automobile accident law and represents clients throughout Northeast Florida. For legal consultation, call 904-383-7448.