Ahuimanu, Hawaii: Car accident Reporting Requirements: Police, Driver, and Motor Vehicle Reports

Ahuimanu, Hawaii local guide: This city page applies the state and national guidance and official resources below to people looking for accident information in Ahuimanu, Hawaii. The agency responsible for a police report or records request can depend on where the incident occurred and which agency investigated it. Confirm the agency shown on the report or incident information before requesting a record.

Short answer

In Hawaiʻi, two different car accident-reporting rules can apply, and their $3,000 tests are not the same. A driver must immediately notify the nearest police officer by the quickest means when a car accident causes injury or death, or when apparent total damage to all property is $3,000 or more. If an officer is sent to the scene and those conditions appear present, the officer must file a written report. HRS §291C-16

Separately, HRS §287-4 requires a driver to report in writing or in person to the chief of police at the earliest practical time and within 24 hours when a car accident involves death, injury, or apparent property damage to any one person, including the driver, in excess of $3,000. Keep any police report number. Because §287-4 says the chief of police and administrator prescribe the form, contact the chief of police in the county of the car accident to confirm whether another submission is needed and how to make it.

Immediate checklist

Stop and stay at the scene as required. For a car accident with injury, death, or attended vehicle/property damage, Hawaiʻi law requires identifying and vehicle-registration information and reasonable help for an injured person. HRS §291C-13 and §291C-14
Notify the nearest police officer immediately when there is injury, death, or apparent total property damage of $3,000 or more. Hawaiʻi’s official driver manual gives the same direction. HRS §291C-16 Hawaiʻi Driver’s Manual
Exchange and preserve information. Record names, addresses, registration information, date, time, location, photos, and the police report number. Use AccidentFiling.ai’s car-accident evidence checklist to organize what you keep.
For unattended property, take the separate steps in the statute. Stop, locate and notify the owner/operator or securely leave written identifying information, then notify the nearest police officer without unnecessary delay. HRS §291C-15

Who reports what in Hawaiʻi?

Report or task	Who does it	When the official source says it applies	Official source
Immediate police notice	Driver; a capable occupant if the driver is physically unable	Injury or death, or apparent total damage to all property of $3,000 or more	HRS §291C-16
Officer written car accident report	Responding police officer	The officer is sent to the scene and it appears there is injury, death, or qualifying apparent damage	HRS §291C-16
Driver/occupant/owner written or in-person report	Driver; capable occupant if the driver cannot; owner if no report is filed	Death or injury, or apparent damage to any one person, including the driver, in excess of $3,000. The driver’s statutory deadline is earliest practical time and within 24 hours; the owner’s is 10 days after learning of the car accident if no report has been filed.	HRS §287-4; HRS §291C-17
County police report transmitted to HDOT for car accident data	County police department	“Major traffic accidents” on public highways or streets: death, injury, or property damage of $300 or more under this administrative data rule	HAR ch. 19-126

Do not substitute one $3,000 test for the other: §291C-16 uses total damage to all property of $3,000 or more, while §287-4 uses damage to any one person in excess of $3,000. An officer’s report is created by police; it is different from the statutory driver/occupant/owner report. Section 287-4 also says no additional report is required when the required report is made under another law or ordinance, unless specifically provided otherwise. Confirm the effect of an officer report with the chief of police rather than assuming a separate form is always required.

The official car accident-reporting sources cited here do not establish a general insurer-notice deadline, public-entity notice deadline, or lawsuit deadline. Those topics are separate from police and motor-vehicle reporting.

How to find or request the record

Request the report from the agency that investigated the car accident. Under HRS §291C-20, chapter 291C traffic-car accident reports are confidential for police use, but the department must disclose them on request to people directly concerned or with a proper interest. The statute includes involved drivers, authorized representatives, injured people, owners of damaged vehicles or property, law enforcement, courts, and a person who may sue because of a death.

HDOT receives county police reports of covered major traffic car accidents on public highways and streets for a car accident-data program. HAR ch. 19-126 Its database is derived from motor-vehicle accident report forms. OIP Opinion Letter 05-06 The cited official sources do not identify HDOT as a statewide public copy service for every police car accident report, so begin with the investigating agency.

Verified county police request paths

Oʻahu / Honolulu Police Department: For an MVC request, call Records Division at 808-723-3258 to learn whether the report can be released. HPD accepts requests by email, mail, or in person; it lists a report number or date/time/location, report type, involved names, and other requested information. Its stated fee is $0.50 for the first page and $0.25 for each additional page. HPD says the investigation must be complete and the case closed for release, with personal information redacted. HPD Police Reports
Hawaiʻi Island / Hawaiʻi Police Department: Approved motor-vehicle accident reports are available to parties of interest. Requests may be made in person, by phone through a district station, or by mail. The department states a response or requested report within 10 business days and a fee of $1 for the first page and $0.10 per additional page; redactions may apply. Get a Copy of a Police Report
Maui County: Maui Police offers its public-records portal and fax or mail requests. It asks for a report number or date/time/location, contact information, and photo ID. Its page says reports are generally received within 10 business days; copies under 25 pages have no fee in most cases, subject to stated exceptions and public-records charges. Maui Police Reports
Kauaʻi: Kauaʻi Police offers online public, business, and insurance request forms. A public request calls for contact information, report number, report type, incident date, and driver’s license or state ID. Its page says reports are generally released after investigative processes are complete and the case is closed, and that personal information may be redacted. Kauaʻi Police Records Section

Documents and identifiers to gather

Have the police report number if available. Otherwise, note the date, approximate time, exact or nearest location, names of people involved, vehicle descriptions and plate numbers, and the investigating agency or officer information. Keep photos, exchanged information, and towing paperwork separately. For an additional scene-and-document list, see what to do after a car accident.

If the report is unavailable or held elsewhere

A report may not be releasable because an investigation is open, or it may be released with redactions. If another law-enforcement agency investigated—such as local police, a campus agency, or another government agency—ask that agency’s records office.

For a formal state or county government-record request, Hawaiʻi’s Office of Information Practices says to send a written request directly to the agency that holds the record. Its Request to Access a Government Record form is available for that purpose. OIP states that an agency generally has 10 business days to grant or deny access in whole or part, or send a written acknowledgment when more time is needed. How to Request a Record

Official resources

What changes for a car accident

Use this version when a private passenger car is involved. The official reporting or record-request procedure below is still controlled by the crash location, investigating agency, and the facts of the event—not by the wording “car accident.”

For insurance, start with the applicable personal auto policy and the insurance rules of the crash state. Save the declarations page, insurance cards, claim number, repair estimates, and insurer communications.

Confirm which agency investigated or holds the report.
Keep the other vehicle and driver information with the report number.
Keep police, motor-vehicle agency, and insurer tasks as separate checklist items.

Browse the Car Accident Guides collection for related pages.

Accident-type official sources

Auto Insurance — National Association of Insurance Commissioners