Car accidents in District of Columbia: what to do and who pays

At the scene and reporting a crash in District of Columbia

Always stop and help anyone who is hurt. Leaving the scene of a crash is a crime in every state.

When to call the police

If anyone is hurt, call 911 (or have someone call), stay until police arrive, and give your information to police and the injured person. If you damage someone's property and the owner is not there, give your information and the crash location to police or 911.

Report to the state

We found no separate crash report that drivers must file with the DC DMV. The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) writes the crash report (form PD-10).

Law

D.C. Code § 50-2201.05c

Official text

Read the official text

First 24 hours after a crash in District of Columbia

Tick the boxes as you go, or print the list and keep it in your glove box.

Insurance system in District of Columbia

District of Columbia uses a choice system: drivers choose options that decide how injury claims work, such as no-fault benefits or limits on suing for pain and suffering. The details are below.

System

Choice no-fault

PIP, benefits and when you can sue

Fault-based with an optional no-fault choice. Insurers must offer personal injury protection (PIP), but it is optional. If you have PIP, you must tell your PIP insurer within 60 days of the crash whether you choose PIP benefits. If you choose them, you can sue the other driver only for substantial permanent scarring or disfigurement, substantial permanent impairment, an impairment that keeps you from almost all usual activities for more than 180 days in a row, or if your medical bills or lost wages exceed your PIP benefits. Damage to your car is still claimed from the driver who caused the crash.

Law

D.C. Code §§ 31-2404, 31-2405, 31-2406

Official text

Read the official text

Compare every state in the no-fault states table.

Who pays: comparative fault in District of Columbia

Rule

Contributory negligence

What it means

In District of Columbia, if you were even slightly at fault (1% or more), you may be barred from recovering anything from the other driver. Courts recognize a few narrow exceptions.

Law

DC common law; D.C. Code § 50-2204.52 makes an exception: a pedestrian, cyclist or other vulnerable road user hit by a vehicle is not barred unless their negligence is greater than all defendants' combined.

Compare every state's rule in the comparative negligence table.

Who pays in District of Columbia: fault and payout explainer

If both drivers share the blame, your state's comparative-fault rule decides whether you can recover and how much. Enter your share of the fault and your total damages to see what the rule means. This is an illustration, not a prediction: insurers, juries and judges decide the percentages.

Minimum insurance in District of Columbia

Liability minimum

25/50/10 now; rises to 50/100/20 on October 1, 2027 (D.C. Law 26-155)

Uninsured / underinsured motorist (UM/UIM)

Uninsured motorist coverage is required: $25,000 per person / $50,000 per accident for injuries and $5,000 for property damage (rising to 50/100/20 on Oct. 1, 2027). Insurers must offer underinsured motorist coverage.

Official text

Read the official text

Numbers like 25/50/25 mean $25,000 for injury to one person, $50,000 for all injuries in one crash and $25,000 for property damage. Compare every state in the minimum insurance table.

Getting the police report in District of Columbia

Request the Accident Report (PD-10) from MPD's Public Documents Section (Records Division). Only people involved in the crash (or their lawyer) can request it this way; others use MPD's FOIA office. By email or mail, send a copy of your government photo ID and the completed form PD 10B; mail requests can take about 6 weeks. In person at MPD Headquarters, 441 4th St. NW, is by appointment only: (202) 671-6705. It is free for people involved; insurers pay $3. Questions: (202) 727-4357. https://mpdc.dc.gov/node/186832

No confirmed online way to order a report in District of Columbia? Ask by mail with our free police report request letter.

Filing a claim and insurer deadlines in District of Columbia

How fast insurers must act

D.C. Code § 31-2231.17 bans insurers, as a general practice, from failing to acknowledge claims promptly, failing to affirm or deny coverage within a reasonable time, and refusing to pay without a reasonable investigation. The statute sets no fixed number of days.

Put your claim in writing. Our free insurance claim letter lists your damages and asks for a written answer.

If the other driver has no insurance in District of Columbia

Driving or letting your car be driven without required insurance: civil fine of $500 and/or license suspension up to 30 days for a first offense, 50% higher fine and up to 60 days for later offenses, plus registration consequences (D.C. Code § 31-2413). If the other driver has no insurance, your required uninsured motorist coverage pays for your injuries and up to $5,000 of property damage, with a $200 deductible for property damage (D.C. Code § 31-2406(f)).

Read what to do if you are hit by an uninsured driver.

Deadlines to sue in District of Columbia

Property damage (your car)

3 years

Injury

3 years

Notes, including claims against a government

Before suing the District of Columbia for injury or property damage, you must give written notice to the Mayor within 6 months. A written MPD report made in the regular course of duty counts as notice (D.C. Code § 12-309).

Law

D.C. Code § 12-301(3), (8)

The deadline is the statute of limitations. Insurance claims and talks with an adjuster don't stop it. Compare every state in the deadlines table.

Deadline to sue in District of Columbia

Every state limits how long you have to file a lawsuit after a car crash. This is the statute of limitations. Choose your state, the type of claim and the date of the crash to see the usual deadline and the last day to file. Nothing you type here is sent anywhere.

Small claims for property damage in District of Columbia

Small claims limit

$10,000 (Superior Court Small Claims and Conciliation Branch).

District of Columbia small claims guide on Small Claims Map

Small claims court can be a way to recover the cost of repairs from the driver who caused the crash. Read how to use small claims for car damage.

Insurance complaints in District of Columbia

If an insurer delays, underpays or denies a claim without a good reason, you can file a complaint with the state insurance regulator:

• DC Department of Insurance, Securities and Banking (DISB), Consumer Services Division · (202) 727-8000

Free help in District of Columbia

• MPD Public Documents Unit (crash reports) · (202) 727-4357
• DC Department of Insurance, Securities and Banking · (202) 727-8000

Good to know in District of Columbia

• DC keeps the strict contributory negligence rule for drivers: if you were even slightly at fault, you may be barred from recovering. Pedestrians and cyclists have a statutory exception (D.C. Code § 50-2204.52).
• If you have PIP, you have 60 days after the crash to tell your insurer whether you choose PIP benefits; choosing them limits your right to sue (D.C. Code § 31-2405).
• Minimum liability and uninsured motorist limits double to 50/100/20 on October 1, 2027 (D.C. Law 26-155).

Changes in 2024–2026

D.C. Law 26-155, the Motor Vehicle Insurance Modernization Amendment Act of 2026 (law effective Aug. 14, 2026), raises minimum liability from 25/50/10 to 50/100/20 and uninsured motorist coverage to 50/100/20, adds enhanced underinsured motorist coverage, and adds automatic increases every 10 years from 2037. The new amounts apply from October 1, 2027.

Free letters

Questions about car accidents in District of Columbia

Other states