Local police for accident reports?

Currently in New Hampshire, if you want access to a motor vehicle accident report for an insurance claim or other purposes, you have to file a request with the state Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV).

In April, over an interpretation of the Driver Privacy Act by the attorney general’s office, local police chiefs were told they could no longer give out accident reports, and, in fact, risked being charged with a crime if they did so. Only the DMV, police were told, could disseminate the accident reports. 

An amendment to an unrelated bill would return public access to accident reports to local departments. The amendment was offered by Sen. David Watters, D-Dover, to HB 437, regarding the authority of police in other jurisdictions outside of their own. It passed a Senate committee this week.

Proponents of the measure, including the New Hampshire Association of Chiefs of Police, say it allows local departments to better serve the public and provide information about accidents to insurance companies in a timely manner.

Opponents say the information in the hands of the Department of Motor Vehicle better protects an individual’s privacy in terms of having certain information shared with others.

Should local police departments have the power to give out motor vehicle accidents reports, instead of the state Department of Motor Vehicles? Share your opinion in the comments below.