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

9. Use by police, firefighters, EMTs, paramedics and emergency vehicle operators on official duty is also not a violation of the phone law.

   Source: PDF page 28

   “or use by a law-enforcement officer, firefighter, emergency medical technician, paramedic, or the operator of an authorized emergency vehicle in the performance of their official duties are not violations of this law.”
   West Virginia Driver's Licensing Handbook, PDF page 28

10. Do not stop at a crash scene unless you are involved or can render assistance, because unnecessary stopping creates more hazards.

    Source: PDF page 84

    “Do not stop at a crash scene unless you are involved or can render assistance. Unnecessary stopping creates additional hazards at the scene.”
    West Virginia Driver's Licensing Handbook, PDF page 84

Numbers to know

3 questions from the West Virginia practice test

1. 1. When should a driver stop at a crash scene?

   1. Only when a crowd has already gathered
   2. Whenever traffic behind the driver is moving slowly
   3. When involved in the crash or able to render assistance
   4. Any time the driver wants to inspect the vehicles
   Show answer

   When involved in the crash or able to render assistance. Stopping is appropriate when you are involved or can provide assistance. Unnecessary stopping adds vehicles and people to an already dangerous location, which can contribute to another collision. A slow queue, a crowd, or curiosity is not enough by itself. If you do stop to help, place the vehicle safely, alert emergency services as appropriate, and avoid creating a new obstruction. The safest response is useful assistance, not an unplanned inspection from the travel lane.

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.