AB 351

Under current law, if an operator of a vehicle has an accident resulting in

personal injury or vehicle damage, the operator must immediately stop the vehicle

at or near the scene of the accident, provide certain information, and render

reasonable assistance to any injured person. If an operator of a vehicle has an

accident with an unattended vehicle or with property on or adjacent to a highway,

the operator must immediately stop and fulfill certain obligations to provide notice

of the vehicle operator's identity. The operator of a vehicle involved in an accident

resulting in injury or death to a person or damage to property in specified amounts

must report the accident to law enforcement as soon as possible. These requirements

are applicable not only on highways but also on premises, whether publicly or

privately owned, that are held out for public vehicle use, provided by employers to

employees for vehicle use, or provided to tenants of certain rental housing for vehicle

use. However, these requirements do not apply to private parking areas at farms or

single-family residences or to accidents involving only snowmobiles, all-terrain

vehicles, or nonmotorized vehicles. A person who commits a failure-to-stop

violation or who fails to report an accident for which a report is required is subject

to varying penalties, and the owner of a vehicle involved in a failure-to-stop

violation may also be subject to penalty as well.

This bill specifies that these failure-to-stop requirements apply to the operator

of a vehicle that, whether by operator intention or lack of control, departs a highway

or any premises described above immediately prior to an accident if the accident does

not occur on real property owned or leased by the operator. The bill also specifies that

the accident reporting requirement and owner liability apply with respect to such an

accident.