Car accidents in Oklahoma: what to do and who pays

At the scene and reporting a crash in Oklahoma

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 or killed, you must tell the police right away by the fastest way you can: the city police inside a city, or else the county sheriff or the nearest Oklahoma Highway Patrol office. In any crash with injury or damage to an attended vehicle, give your name, address and plate number, show your license and insurance verification form if asked, and help anyone hurt.

Damage amount

$300

Report to the state

Except for crashes on private property, if anyone was hurt or killed or damage to one vehicle or other property is clearly over $300, the driver must send a written report to the Department of Public Safety if the crash has not been settled within 6 months. If it was settled, the parties must report the settlement.

Law

47 O.S. § 10-104; § 10-107; § 10-108(A)

Official text

Read the official text

First 24 hours after a crash in Oklahoma

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

Insurance system in Oklahoma

Oklahoma is a fault (tort) state: the driver who caused the crash, through their liability insurance, pays for the other people's injuries and damage.

System

Fault (tort)

PIP, benefits and when you can sue

No PIP is required. Oklahoma has no no-fault law. Every owner must carry liability insurance (or other security), and the driver who caused the crash pays for the other people's injuries and damage through it.

Law

47 O.S. § 7-601; § 7-204

Official text

Read the official text

Compare every state in the no-fault states table.

Who pays: comparative fault in Oklahoma

Rule

Modified (51% bar)

What it means

In Oklahoma, your damages are reduced by your share of the fault, and you can't recover at all if you were more than 50% at fault (51% or more).

Law

23 O.S. § 13: your own negligence doesn't bar recovery unless it is of greater degree than the other side's (so at 50% you can still recover a reduced amount).

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

Who pays in Oklahoma: 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 Oklahoma

Liability minimum

25/50/25

Uninsured / underinsured motorist (UM/UIM)

Uninsured motorist coverage for injuries must be included in every policy at least at 25/50, unless you reject it in writing. Higher limits, up to your liability limits, must be offered. In Oklahoma, 'uninsured' also covers a driver whose liability limits are too low to pay your claim (36 O.S. § 3636).

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 Oklahoma

For a Highway Patrol collision report kept by Service Oklahoma, use form 303RM-C 'Collision Request for Records', in person or by mail. The fee is $7 per report, or $10 certified (47 O.S. § 6-117; form 303RM-C). Reports contain personal information protected by federal privacy law: if the report is not about you, the form asks you to state an allowed reason (for example, an insurance claim or a court case) or to get the driver's written consent. For a city police or sheriff report, ask that agency.

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

Filing a claim and insurer deadlines in Oklahoma

How fast insurers must act

Your own (first-party) property and casualty insurer must acknowledge your claim within 30 days, and tell you within 60 days after proper proof of loss whether it accepts or denies the claim or needs more time (with reasons). A denial must be in writing and cite the policy provision. If you have no lawyer, the insurer must warn you in writing, one year after the loss, before a time limit runs out (36 O.S. §§ 1250.6, 1250.7).

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 Oklahoma

If the at-fault driver has no insurance (or not enough), you can claim for your injuries under your own uninsured motorist coverage (included unless you rejected it in writing). Driving without insurance is a misdemeanor: up to $250 fine and/or 30 days in jail, plus license suspension, and the officer may tow the car (47 O.S. § 7-606). If a report is filed under § 10-108, the Department of Public Safety checks whether the other parties were insured and can start suspension proceedings.

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

Deadlines to sue in Oklahoma

Property damage (your car)

2 years

Injury

2 years

Notes, including claims against a government

To claim against an Oklahoma state agency, city or county, you must present a written claim within 1 year of the loss, or it is barred (51 O.S. § 156).

Law

12 O.S. § 95(A)(3)

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 Oklahoma

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 Oklahoma

Small claims limit

$10,000, not counting attorney fees and court costs.

Oklahoma 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 Oklahoma

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

• Oklahoma Insurance Department, Consumer Assistance · 1-800-522-0071 (in state), (405) 521-2828

Free help in Oklahoma

• Oklahoma Insurance Department · 1-800-522-0071
• Service Oklahoma: Collision Request for Records (form 303RM-C)

Good to know in Oklahoma

• Your uninsured motorist policy may say that either side can demand arbitration; if arbitration doesn't settle it within 3 months of the demand, you can sue the at-fault driver (36 O.S. § 3636(B)).
• Insurers can't keep negotiating with an unrepresented claimant until a deadline passes without written warning, given one year after the loss (36 O.S. § 1250.7(E)).
• Police must respond to private-property crashes that involve injury, a possibly impaired driver, or a government vehicle (47 O.S. § 10-108(B)).

Changes in 2024–2026

47 O.S. § 10-104 (duty to give information) was amended by Laws 2025, c. 172, eff. Nov. 1, 2025; the current text also says that giving intentionally inaccurate information is punished under § 10-103. 47 O.S. § 7-606 (no-insurance penalties) was amended by Laws 2025, c. 150 (emerg. eff. May 12, 2025). No 2024-2026 change to minimum limits, the comparative-fault rule or the 2-year deadlines found.

Free letters

Questions about car accidents in Oklahoma

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