Tennessee Crash Reports Lookup

Tennessee law requires drivers to report all accidents involving $50 or more of property damage, injury, or death.

You are also required, as per Tennessee state law to file an Owner/Driver Report within 20 days if (1) property damage exceeded $400 (2) there was an injury or (3) a fatality occurred due to the accident.

Data from this report is used for many purposes including:

• Identifying locations with a large number of crashes.
• Improving dangerous highways and intersections.
• Developing highway safety public information programs.
• Developing programs to save lives and reduce highway injuries.

Tennessee accident reports may be filled out by several agencies, alongside the Tennessee Highway Patrol. The Tennessee Department of Safety mandates all forms are standardized using a series of boxes and columns, regardless of which agency attends the scene.

If you are involved in a traffic collision, you need to know how to read THP accident reports. While you will see a lot of information available online, here are the aspects to focus on:

• Vehicle Number - The officer will assign each driver a letter and a number. If two drivers are involved, one will be labeled as V1 and the other as V2. Make sure the number has been assigned correctly when it comes to who the accident apportioned blamed to.
• Location - The time and the location of the crash, including which intersection or highway.
• Violations - Insurance adjusters will pay special attention to any citations the officer issues. Ensure the citation has been assigned appropriately.
• Driver Condition - The Driver Factors section on the report details the officer’s opinion on what the likely cause of the crash was. For example, if a driver consumed any medications, this will be noted in this section of the crash form.
• Driver Actions - Officers will write down various codes indicating the actions of each driver. Up to five actions may be recorded, based on driver and witness reports.
• Alcohol/Drugs - The officer is required to record any suspicions of drug or alcohol consumption. If a blood alcohol test or a field sobriety test was performed, this will also be noted.
• Vehicle Damage - The officer will diligently record damage to all vehicles involved in any Tennessee accident. There is also space for illustrations and diagrams created by the officer.

Knowing how to read THP crash reports will help you to inspect the report and highlight any factual errors or inconsistencies. Remember, this report is a record of the observations of the officer, not what actually happened.

If you choose not to obtain your THP crash report online, you also have the option of requesting it in person. Your options depend on which agency investigated the accident.

If the Tennessee Highway Patrol (THP) attended the accident, you can purchase a copy of your crash report for $4.00 seven days after the crash from your nearest THP District Office. There are eight district offices across the state, including Nashville.

Alternatively, if your crash was investigated by another agency, you can also contact that agency. Unlike other states where you would have the option to visit the Tennessee DMV, only the investigating agency can issue Tennessee accident reports.

Upon appearing in person, you will need to supply a form of ID, date of the incident, which county the crash occurred in, and the name of the driver involved. You should also have an agency tracking number provided.

Tennessee is viewed as one of the most dangerous states for road traffic accidents. In 2021, 1,318 fatalities were recorded in the Volunteer State, which represented an 8.3% increase over 2020.

Despite the relatively high rise in deaths, Tennessee still falls below the national average. Nationally, deaths on the road rose by 10.5%.

In terms of deaths by 100,000 people, Tennessee is the 37th safest state for driving. Approximately 17.6 deaths out of every 100,000 people occurred last year, with the national average being just 10.5.

It may surprise you to learn that despite relatively high fatality rates, the Volunteer State has strict traffic laws.

For example, red lights with a “no turn” sign requires drivers to treat the light like a yield sign. Drivers are also prohibited from any cell phone use when driving, whereas a DUI will lead to an automatic one-year suspension of your driving license.

One area where Tennessee falls short on road traffic safety laws is seat belt usage. Adult passengers sitting in the back seat are exempt from wearing seatbelts, even though it’s well-known back-seat seatbelts save thousands of American lives annually. Unfortunately, handheld phone calls are also legal, unless driving within an active school zone.