How to Fill Out the Oregon Traffic Collision and Insurance Report (Form 735-32)

If you were in a crash in Oregon, you have 72 hours to file Oregon Form 735-32, the Traffic Collision and Insurance Report, with the DMV. A police report filed at the scene does not cover you. The obligation is personal, it runs from the moment of the collision, and missing it triggers a suspension of your driving privileges.¹²

When You Have to File

Not every scrape triggers the duty to report. Under ORS 811.720, you must file when any one of these is true:³

Anyone was injured or killed, no matter how minor the injury looked.
Damage to your vehicle exceeds $2,500, even if it’s still drivable.
Any vehicle in the crash was towed from the scene due to damage, and damage to any vehicle exceeds $2,500.
Non-vehicle property damage (a fence, guardrail, building) exceeds $2,500.

The 72-hour clock starts at the moment of the collision. ORS 811.725 makes filing late a citable offense.⁴ If something genuinely stops you from filing in time, say you’re hospitalized, submit as soon as you can.¹ Not filing at all is the worse outcome: Oregon law requires the DMV to suspend driving privileges for failure to report.²

What to Gather Before You Start

An incomplete report can trigger the same suspension notice as a missing one, so pull everything together before you sit down with the form:⁵

Your driver license number, vehicle plate or VIN, and the year, make, and model of your vehicle.
Your insurance company name (not your agent’s name) and your policy number — check your insurance card rather than writing it from memory.
The other driver’s name, address, driver license number, license plate, and insurance information.
Names and contact information for any passengers and pedestrians involved.
Names and contact information for any witnesses.

If you couldn’t get everything from the other driver at the scene, fill in what you have. The DMV uses your entries to match reports from every driver in the same crash, so even partial information helps.

Where do you get the form? Download the fillable PDF from the Oregon DMV website, or ask local law enforcement, which also stocks it. If you hold an Oregon driver license, permit, or ID, you can skip paper entirely and file online through DMV2U.Oregon.gov. Out-of-state drivers without an Oregon credential have to use the paper form.¹

Filling Out the Form Section by Section

Section 1: Date, Location, and Time

Enter the exact date, time, and location of the crash. The form itself calls this information “critical for processing your report.”⁵ Be specific: street names, the nearest intersection, and the direction you were traveling. If you aren’t sure which county the crash was in, any local law enforcement agency can tell you.

Sections 2 and 3: Your Vehicle and Insurance

Enter your driver license number, vehicle details, and insurance. The DMV verifies the insurance you list here, and incomplete entries in this section can lead directly to a suspension, so copy the policy number off your card.⁵

Section 4: The Other Vehicle

Fill in what you know about the other driver’s vehicle, plate, and insurance. For crashes with three or more vehicles, attach a completed Form 735-32B, or a separate sheet laid out the same way as Section 4, covering each additional vehicle.

Section 5: Description

Write a plain, factual account of how the crash happened. Stick to what you observed: the direction you were going, what the other vehicle did, road conditions, and the point of impact. You can attach extra pages if you run out of space.

Diagram

Sketch the positions and paths of every vehicle in the diagram area. Use the symbols printed on the form for pedestrians, bicyclists, railroad tracks, and fixed objects, and number each vehicle to match your written description.

Signature

Sign and date the report. The DMV treats an unsigned form the same as an incomplete one.

How to Submit It

Four channels will get the report to the DMV Crash Reporting Unit:⁵

Online at DMV2U.Oregon.gov (Oregon license, permit, or ID required). Download or print your copy right after submitting.
Fax to the Crash Reporting Unit at 503-945-5267.
Mail to DMV Crash Reporting Unit, 1905 Lana Ave NE, Salem, OR 97314.
In person at any DMV field office.

One warning worth repeating: do not send more than one report for the same crash. Each submission creates a separate collision entry on your driving record.¹ If you catch an error after submitting, call the Crash Reporting Unit instead of refiling.

Keep a photocopy or scan if you mail or fax. The DMV doesn’t send a receipt, so your copy is the only proof you met the deadline. You’ll usually only hear back if something is missing or your insurance doesn’t check out.

What Happens After You File

The DMV does not decide fault. It is required by law to post the collision to the driving record of every driver who had to report, and it verifies the insurance information each driver submitted.⁵

If verification shows you were uninsured at the time of the crash, the fallout goes beyond the collision itself. Under ORS 806.200, an uninsured driver in an accident has 30 days to make a “future responsibility filing” proving current coverage at Oregon’s minimum limits.⁶ That filing is an insurance certificate (commonly called an SR-22) sent by your insurer directly to the DMV. You have to maintain it for at least one year, and any lapse during that period results in suspension.⁷

Can You Get a Copy of Your Report Later?

No. Oregon law bars the DMV from giving you back a copy of the collision report you filed, which is why saving your own copy before you submit matters so much.¹ The DMV can issue a certified letter with the key details from the crash — owners, drivers, occupants, vehicle registrations, insurance information, and witnesses — for $12.50. The fee applies even if the record cannot be found.⁸

A Note for Commercial Vehicle Drivers

If a commercial motor vehicle was involved, Form 735-32 isn’t the end of your paperwork. Oregon rules require commercial operators to also file Form 735-9229, the Motor Carrier Collision Report, within 30 days when the crash caused a fatality, an injury that needed medical treatment away from the scene, or a tow for disabling damage.⁵ The 72-hour deadline for the standard report runs separately.

1
Oregon Driver & Motor Vehicle Services. Collision Reporting and Responsibilities
2
Oregon Public Law. Oregon Code 809.417 – Suspension for Conduct Regarding Accidents
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Oregon Public Law. Oregon Code 811.720 – When Accident Must Be Reported to Department of Transportation
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Oregon Public Law. Oregon Code 811.725 – Driver Failure to Report Accident to Department of Transportation
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Oregon Department of Transportation. Oregon Traffic Collision and Insurance Report
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Oregon State Legislature. Oregon Code 806 – Refusal, Suspension, Cancellation and Revocation of Registration, Title, Driving Privileges and Identification Card – Vehicle Impoundment
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Oregon Public Law. Oregon Code 806.240 – Proof of Compliance With Future Responsibility Filing Requirements
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Oregon Driver & Motor Vehicle Services. Available DMV Records and Fees