Collisions, insurance and registration in Prince Edward Island

By the end of this topic you can

• You can list your legal duties at a collision scene.
• You can decide when a collision must be reported to police.
• You can explain what a first person at the scene should and should not do.
• You can name the documents a vehicle needs to be driven legally.

What you need to know and understand

• Every driver involved in a collision must stop immediately at the scene.
• If anyone is injured or property is damaged, give your name, address and plate number, show your licence, and give reasonable help to anyone hurt.
• Report at once to police if anyone is injured, if property damage apparently reaches $2,000 or more, or if a vehicle is left stopped on the highway. Follow up with a written report within 24 hours.
• Outside a municipality, or in one without its own police force, report to the RCMP; otherwise report to the municipal police.
• Every vehicle must be covered by public liability insurance, shown by a pink insurance card.
• Most vehicles need a yearly safety inspection, and a bought vehicle cannot be registered without a valid inspection sticker.

At the scene: step by step

If you damage an unattended vehicle and the damage is under $2,000, you must find and notify the owner, or report it to police if the owner cannot be found within a reasonable time. Failing to stop at the scene carries 12 demerit points.

1. Stop immediately, as safely as you can, and switch on your hazard lights.
2. Check for injuries and call 911 if anyone is hurt or the road is blocked.
3. Exchange names, addresses, licence details, plate numbers and insurance details. Note any witnesses.
4. Record the five key points: exact location, time, damage, injuries, and the details of drivers and owners.
5. Report to police when the law requires it, then file the written report within 24 hours.

If you are first to arrive

• Park well off the road so your car is not hit, and call 911.
• Turn off the ignitions of the crashed vehicles if you can do so safely.
• Do not move injured people unless there is immediate danger such as fire; neck and spine injuries can be made worse.
• Keep them warm, calm and reassured, and keep onlookers back.

Insurance, registration and inspection

To register a vehicle you need the application form from Highway Safety or Access PEI, your liability insurance card and a passing safety inspection report. PEI issues one number plate, and the registration expires on the owner's birthday. Keep the registration permit and inspection report in the vehicle and show them to police on request. When you sell a vehicle, notify Highway Safety within seven days; the buyer must transfer the registration within seven days too.

Common mistakes

• Driving away from a minor bump because no one seems hurt. You must stop and exchange details.
• Relying on the old $1,000 reporting figure printed in the handbook. The current Act uses $2,000.
• Moving an injured person who is not in immediate danger.
• Driving a borrowed car without checking that it is insured, registered and inspected.

Test yourself: Collisions, insurance and registration in Prince Edward Island

Answer each question, then read the explanation. Questions come in a random order each time.