Crash reports, insurance and phone use

Key points

1. Report any crash with injury, death or more than $1,000 in property damage within 5 days by the quickest means possible.

   Source: PDF page 26

   “Crashes resulting in injury to, or death of, any person or property damage in excess of $1,000 must be reported by the quickest means possible (oral or written) within five (5) days”
   West Virginia Driver's Licensing Handbook, PDF page 26

2. If your vehicle was uninsured at the time of a crash, your registration and driving privilege will be suspended.

   Source: PDF page 26

   “If your vehicle was not covered by the required West Virginia liability insurance on the date of the crash, your motor vehicle registration and driving privilege will be suspended.”
   West Virginia Driver's Licensing Handbook, PDF page 26

3. All motorists on public roads must carry West Virginia liability insurance.

   Source: PDF page 26

   “West Virginia law mandates that all motorists driving on the state's public roads must carry West Virginia motor vehicle liability insurance.”
   West Virginia Driver's Licensing Handbook, PDF page 26

4. An image of your insurance proof on a phone is also valid proof of insurance.

   Source: PDF page 27

   “An image displayed on a wireless communication device, as provided in §17D-2A-4, is also a valid proof of insurance.”
   West Virginia Driver's Licensing Handbook, PDF page 27

5. Failing to provide proof of insurance suspends your license and your vehicle registration.

   Source: PDF page 27

   “Failure to provide proof of West Virginia liability insurance will result in the suspension of your driver's license as well as your vehicle registration”
   West Virginia Driver's Licensing Handbook, PDF page 27

6. Filing false insurance information brings an extra 90 day suspension and a possible fine up to $1,000 and 1 year in jail.

   Source: PDF page 27

   “Filing of false or fraudulent insurance information will result in an additional 90-day suspension of your driver's license, revocation of your vehicle registration, and possible prosecution that carries a fine of not more than $1,000 and jail time not to exceed one (1) year.”
   West Virginia Driver's Licensing Handbook, PDF page 27

7. Using an electronic device while driving is prohibited unless it is hands free.

   Source: PDF page 27

   “The use of any electronic communications device while driving a motor vehicle on a public street or highway is prohibited unless the use is accomplished by hands-free equipment.”
   West Virginia Driver's Licensing Handbook, PDF page 27

8. Using a device to report a fire, crash, serious road hazard or emergency to authorities is not a violation.

   Source: PDF page 28

   “Use of an electronic communications device to report a fire, traffic crash, serious road hazard, or emergency to the appropriate authorities,”
   West Virginia Driver's Licensing Handbook, PDF page 28

Numbers to know

3 questions from the West Virginia practice test

1. 1. When must a West Virginia driver report a crash causing injury, death, or $1,000 or more in property damage?

   1. Within 24 hours by mail
   2. Within 10 days
   3. Within 30 days
   4. Immediately, by the quickest means of communication
   Show answer

   Immediately, by the quickest means of communication. West Virginia Code 17C-4-6 requires the driver to give notice immediately, by the quickest means of communication, when a crash injures or kills anyone or causes apparent property damage of $1,000 or more. Notify the local police department inside a municipality; otherwise call the county sheriff or the nearest West Virginia State Police office. Waiting days or sending a letter does not meet the duty. Call from a safe spot once people are protected and help is on the way.

2. 2. Which report is specifically listed as an allowed use of an electronic communications device?

   1. Composing an email while moving through traffic
   2. Sending a personal text to arrange dinner
   3. Watching a video while stopped at a light
   4. Reporting a fire, traffic crash, serious road hazard, or emergency to authorities
   Show answer

   Reporting a fire, traffic crash, serious road hazard, or emergency to authorities. The handbook lists reporting a fire, traffic crash, serious road hazard, or emergency to the appropriate authorities as an allowed use. That exception is tied to communicating an urgent public safety event, not to ordinary personal messages or entertainment. A red light does not turn video viewing into emergency reporting, and composing email while moving remains unrelated to the listed purpose. If a report is necessary, focus on the roadway and communicate only the information needed to reach the proper authorities. The emergency purpose is the key boundary.

3. 3. Which person is exempt from West Virginia's handheld phone ban while driving?

   1. A firefighter or ambulance driver performing official duties
   2. A driver reading entertainment messages while moving
   3. A driver playing an electronic game at a red light
   4. A driver transmitting personal data without hands-free equipment
   Show answer

   A firefighter or ambulance driver performing official duties. West Virginia's Electronically Distracted Driving Act exempts law-enforcement officers, firefighters, emergency medical services personnel, ambulance drivers, and similar public safety first responders while they perform official duties. Other exemptions cover reporting a crash, fire, medical emergency, or serious road hazard, and a person in a lawfully parked vehicle. Stopping at a red light is not parking, so gaming or reading messages there is still a violation. Personal data use without a hands-free feature is exactly what the law prohibits. The exemption follows the job and the duty, not the urgency a driver feels.

Source: the West Virginia Driver's Licensing Handbook, Chapter II: Driver Responsibilities. This lesson is a plain English summary, not the law itself; where it differs, the manual and the statute govern. Last checked 2026-09-27.