UPDATE: As of 2017, TxDOT no longer accepts the Blue Form (CR-2 Accident Report). If you have questions about what to do instead, please contact us, 24/7.
Effective Sept. 1, 2017, per the 85th Texas Legislature Senate Bill 312, the Driver’s Crash Report (Form CR-2) is no longer retained by TxDOT. As of Jan. 1, 2019, the retention period expired for all CR-2 forms. As a result, TxDOT no longer has any Driver’s Crash Reports in its custodial records and no longer hosts or provides copies of the CR-2 form. Drivers involved in a crash not investigated by a police officer who were provided a CR-2 or similar local agency form should retain this information for their records. Please note that any CR-2 or similar local agency form submitted to TxDOT will be destroyed as required by our records retention policy.
–TxDOT
According to TxDOT, beginning on 9/1/2017, “Texas Transportation Code §550.062 requires any law enforcement officer who in the regular course of duty investigates a motor vehicle crash that results in injury to or the death of a person or damage to the property of any one person to the apparent extent of $1,000 or more, to submit a written report of that crash to TxDOT not later than the tenth day after the date of the crash.
TxDOT collects crash reports from Texas law enforcement agencies for crashes occurring on public roadways and the state highway system. The state retention schedule for crash reports and data is 10 years plus the current year. Data analysis for years outside this retention period is unavailable. However, published annual reports may be available for years outside the retention period.”
You may have come across this page from TxDOT when searching for how to file an accident report in Texas. However, that page is specifically for law enforcement officials (ex. police and sheriffs) about how to file accident reports in Texas. For example, it links to the PDF version of form CR-3 (the Texas Peace Officer’s Crash Report). As the page notes, The CR-3 and CR-3 Alternate forms are only to be used by Texas law enforcement agencies.
If you were injured in an accident, contact us for a 100% free consultation.
If you’re for your Texas crash report, know that TxDOT has a 10-year retention policy for crash reports.
Accidents happen, and when they do, it’s essential to know the proper steps to take to document the incident properly. In Austin, Texas, one crucial document previously used for the purpose of reporting a car accident was the CR-2, more commonly known as the Blue Form. This form served as a vital tool in reporting motor vehicle accidents by creating a comprehensive driver crash report. Understanding how to fill out a CR-2 form and when it was necessary could help make sure your accident was being reported properly.
The CR-2 Form (also known as the “Blue Form Accident Report” or “DPS Blue Form”), was a standardized accident report form used by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) prior to 9/1/2017 to document motor vehicle accidents. This traffic accident reporting system was an essential tool for collecting and maintaining data about accidents across Texas. The form was blue in color, hence its informal name.
If you were hurt or injured in an accident, simply tell us your contact info here… we’ll reach out to you to get the necessary details about the accident so that we can get the report for you (100% free).
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