NORTH CAROLINA GENERAL ASSEMBLY

1971 SESSION

CHAPTER 958

SENATE BILL 227

AN ACT TO AMEND G.S. 20-166 AND G.S. 20-166.1 RELATING TO THE DUTY OF INDIVIDUALS COLLIDING WITH MOTOR VEHICLES TO FURNISH INFORMATION TO THE OWNERS OF SUCH VEHICLES OR TO LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER.

The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:

Section 1.  G.S. 20-466(b) is hereby rewritten to read as follows:

"(b)      The driver of any vehicle involved in an accident or collision resulting in damage to property and in which there is not involved injury or death of any person shall immediately stop his vehicle at the scene of the accident or collision and shall give his name, address, operator's or chauffeur's license number and the registration number of his vehicle to the driver or occupants of any other vehicle involved in the accident or collision or to any person whose property is damaged in the accident or collision; provided that if the damaged property is a parked and unattended vehicle and the name and location of the owner is not known to or readily ascertainable by the driver of the responsible vehicle, the said driver shall furnish the information required by this subsection to the nearest available peace officer, or, in the alternative, and provided he thereafter within 48 hours fully complies with G.S. 20-166.1(c), shall immediately place a paper writing containing said information in a conspicuous place upon or in the damaged vehicle and, provided that if the damaged property is a guard rail, utility pole, or other fixed object owned by the State Highway Commission, a public utility, or other public service corporation to which report cannot readily be made at the scene, it shall be sufficient if the responsible driver shall furnish the information required to the nearest peace officer or make written report thereof containing said information by U. S. Certified Mail, return receipt requested, to the N. C. Department of Motor Vehicles within five days following said collision. Any person violating the provisions of this subsection shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and fined or imprisoned for a period of not more than two years, or both, in the discretion of the court."

Sec. 2.  The first paragraph of G.S. 20-166.1(c) is rewritten to read as follows:

"(c)       Notwithstanding any other provisions of this section, the driver of any motor vehicle which collides with another motor vehicle left parked or unattended on any street or highway of this State shall within 48 hours report the collision to the owner of such parked or unattended motor vehicle. Such report shall include the time, date and place of the collision, the driver's name, address, operator's or chauffeur's license number and the registration number of the vehicle being operated by the driver at the time of the collision, and such report may be oral or in writing. Such written report must be transmitted to the current address of the owner of the parked or unattended vehicle by United States certified mail, return receipt requested and a copy of such report shall be transmitted to the North Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles."

Sec. 3.  The second paragraph of G.S. 20-166.1(c) is hereby stricken in its entirety and rewritten to read as follows:

"No report, oral or written, made pursuant to this Article shall be competent in any civil action except to establish identity of the person operating the moving vehicle at the time of the collision referred to therein."

Sec. 4.  This act shall become effective July 1, 1971.

In the General Assembly read three times and ratified, this the 19th day of July, 1971.