Car accident, minimum insurance and traffic tickets by state: Texas, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, Arizona
Based on official state laws and agency pages (checked 2026-10-23). This is general information, not legal advice. Where we could not confirm something from an official source, we say so.
A crash or a ticket in a new state is stressful. The basics are similar everywhere: stop, help, exchange information, call the police when required, and carry at least the state's minimum insurance. But the dollar amounts, deadlines and ticket options are different in each state.
At a glance
| Texas | Georgia | Alabama | Tennessee | Arizona | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Call police right away | Injury/death, or a car can't be driven safely (550.026) | Injury/death or damage over $500 (DDS manual) | Injury/death (32-10-5) | Not confirmed | Injury/death (28-666) |
| Your own written report to the state | None found (TxDOT stopped keeping CR-2 in 2017) | Not confirmed | Within 30 days if injury or damage over $250 (32-7-5) | Owner Operator Report within 20 days if injury, over $1,500 damage, or over $400 to government property | None found |
| Minimum liability insurance | 30/60/25 | 25/50/25 | 25/50/25 | 25/50/25 (or $65,000 single limit) | 25/50/15 |
| Points → suspension | — (see TX guide) | 15 points / 24 months | 12 points / 2 years (60 days) | 12 points / 12 months | Not confirmed |
| Defensive-driving option | Dismissal (our TX guide) | Up to 7 points off once in 5 years; or before court: no points + 20% off the fine | No statewide program found | 8-hour class at a points hearing, instead of or to shorten a suspension | Dismissal, not on your record, once in 12 months |
1. At the scene of a crash
Every state we checked requires the same core duties when someone is hurt or an occupied car is damaged:
- Stop at or as close to the scene as possible, and come back if you went past it. Leaving the scene can be a felony when someone is hurt. In Arizona, for example, it is a class 3 felony for death or serious injury (A.R.S. 28-661). In Alabama it is a Class B or C felony (32-10-6).
- Give information: your name, address and the vehicle's registration (plate) number, and show your license if asked. Texas also requires you to give the name of your liability insurer (Transp. Code 550.023). Georgia's manual adds your driver's license number.
- Help the injured. This includes arranging a ride to a doctor or hospital if treatment is clearly needed or the person asks (TX 550.023, AL 32-10-2, AZ 28-663).
- Unattended car (for example, a parked car): find the owner or leave a note with your name and address (TX 550.024, AL 32-10-3, AZ 28-664).
- Move out of traffic when it's safe. On a Texas metro freeway, if every car can be driven, move them off the main lanes (550.022). Georgia and Alabama also let you move a drivable car out of the road when no one appears seriously hurt. In Alabama, a car in a crash with injury or death must stay put until an officer says to move it.
Tennessee: we could not open Tennessee's official code text, so we can't list its scene rules from an official source. Follow the same basics and check with the Tennessee Department of Safety.
2. Calling the police and filing reports
- Texas: Call right away if anyone is hurt or killed, or if a car can't be driven normally and safely. Call the city police, or the sheriff or DPS outside city limits (550.026). The officer files the report if there is an injury or $1,000+ in damage (550.062). TxDOT stopped keeping the driver's crash report (CR-2) in 2017. If no officer came, keep your own copy.
- Georgia: The DDS manual says to notify the nearest law enforcement agency immediately if anyone is hurt or killed or damage exceeds $500. If you don't pay a damage claim, DDS can suspend your license under the Safety Responsibility Law. You can prevent this with an SR-21 from your insurer, a signed release, or by posting security.
- Alabama: Call police immediately for injury or death (32-10-5). Within 30 days, the driver must also report in writing to the state if anyone was injured or killed or damage to any one person was over $250 (32-7-5). If the other driver had no insurance, ALEA's SR-31 claim form covers crashes with damage over $500 when you haven't been paid.
- Tennessee: File an Owner Operator Report within 20 days if anyone was hurt or killed, property damage was over $1,500, or damage to state or local government property was over $400. You must file no matter who was at fault, even if police also made a report. If you don't, your license and registration can be suspended. You can file online through e-Services.
- Arizona: Call immediately for injury or death (28-666). The officer writes the report (28-667). We found no separate driver report requirement.
3. Minimum liability insurance
Liability insurance pays for the other people's injuries and property damage when you cause a crash. Repairs to your own car need collision coverage. The minimums:
- Texas 30/60/25: $30,000 per injured person, $60,000 per crash, $25,000 property damage (TDI).
- Georgia 25/50/25 (Office of Insurance). You must keep coverage continuously while your car is registered. A lapse can bring fines and registration suspension (DOR).
- Alabama 25/50/25. It must be an Alabama policy. If you're uninsured, your registration is suspended, with a $200 reinstatement fee the first time and $400 after that (Dept. of Revenue).
- Tennessee 25/50/25, or a $65,000 single limit (TCA 55-12-102(12)(D), from 2023).
- Arizona 25/50/15 for policies issued or renewed since July 1, 2020 (A.R.S. 28-4009). Keep proof in the car (a phone screen is OK).
These are only minimums. A serious crash can easily cost more, so many drivers buy higher limits. For Texas details, see our car insurance and driver license guide.
4. Tickets: points and defensive driving
- Texas: A driving safety course can get the ticket dismissed — see our Texas speeding ticket guide.
- Georgia: Points range from 2 to 6. Speeding less than 15 mph over gives no points. At 15 points in 24 months, your license is suspended. A certified 6-hour Driver Improvement (defensive driving) course lets DDS take off up to 7 points once every 5 years (O.C.G.A. 40-5-86). You can also finish the course after the ticket and before court. Then the court gives no points and cuts the fine by 20%, once every 5 years (DDS manual). This lowers points; the ticket itself is not dismissed.
- Alabama: Speeding up to 25 mph over is 2 points, and 26+ over is 5. At 12–14 points in 2 years, your license is suspended for 60 days, up to 365 days at 24+ points. Points count for 2 years but stay on your record. We did not find a statewide defensive-driving dismissal or point-reduction program. Ask the court on your ticket.
- Tennessee: At 12+ points in 12 months, you get a proposed suspension and can ask for a hearing. At the hearing, you're usually offered an 8-hour defensive driving class instead of a suspension or to shorten it. You must finish it within 90 days, and it counts only once every 5 years. Whether a local court will dismiss a ticket for traffic school depends on the court. Ask the court on your ticket.
- Arizona: For an eligible civil moving violation, the court must let you take a Supreme Court-certified defensive driving class. When you finish, the ticket is dismissed and not put on your driving record (A.R.S. 28-3392, 28-3394). You can do this once every 12 months. You can't use it after a crash with death or serious injury. Criminal speeding is allowed only with the judge's permission. Finish at least 7 days before your court date. You pay the court's diversion fee, a $45 surcharge and the school's fee instead of the fine.
Related
- Texas speeding ticket: driving safety course dismissal
- Texas relocation guide: car insurance and driver license
- Life in the U.S.
- Local shop jobs
Laws, amounts and procedures change, and this is not legal advice — for your case, check with the court on your ticket, the state agency, your insurer or a lawyer. Checked 2026-10-23.
Cite this article as: JOBnaru™ — https://jobnaru.com/en/news/car-accident-insurance-traffic-tickets-by-state
Questions
Do I have to call the police after a minor fender bender?
If someone is hurt or killed, yes, in all five states — right away. For damage-only crashes it depends on the state. In Texas you must call if a car can't be driven normally and safely. Georgia's driver manual says to call if damage exceeds $500. In Alabama and Arizona the law requires an immediate call for injury or death. Tennessee and Alabama also require a written report to the state in some damage-only crashes.
Do I have to file my own accident report with the state?
In Tennessee, yes — an Owner Operator Report within 20 days if anyone was hurt, property damage was over $1,500, or government property damage was over $400. Alabama law requires a written report to the state within 30 days if anyone was injured or damage to any one person was over $250. In Texas, Arizona and Georgia we did not find a general driver report requirement. When police investigate, the officer files the report.
What is the minimum car insurance in each state?
Texas 30/60/25, Georgia 25/50/25, Alabama 25/50/25, Tennessee 25/50/25 (or a $65,000 single limit), and Arizona 25/50/15. The numbers are thousands of dollars for injury per person, injury per accident and property damage. These are only minimums.
Can a defensive driving course remove points outside Texas?
In Arizona, an eligible civil moving violation is dismissed and kept off your record after a court-approved course, once every 12 months. In Georgia, a certified 6-hour course can take off up to 7 points once every 5 years. If you take it before court, it can also avoid points and cut the fine by 20%. In Tennessee, at 12 or more points, an 8-hour course is usually offered instead of a suspension or to shorten one. In Alabama we did not find a statewide program.
Sources
- Transportation Code Chapter 550 — Accidents and Accident Reports — Texas Legislature (official text)
- Crash reports and records (CR-2 no longer retained) — Texas Department of Transportation
- Auto insurance guide — Texas Department of Insurance
- Georgia Drivers Manual 2023-2024 (Crashes; Losing your driving privileges) — Georgia Department of Driver Services
- Points and Points Reduction — Georgia Department of Driver Services
- Auto Insurance — Georgia Office of Commissioner of Insurance and Safety Fire
- Vehicle Insurance Requirements — Georgia Department of Revenue
- Sections 32-10-1 to 32-10-6 (duties after an accident) and 32-7-5, 32-7-6 (reports and security) — Alabama Legislature (Code of Alabama)
- Mandatory Liability Insurance — Alabama Department of Revenue
- Driver License Point System — Alabama Law Enforcement Agency
- SR-31 Safety Responsibility Accident Claim Form — Alabama Law Enforcement Agency
- Submit an Owner Operator Report — Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security
- Driver Improvement (Points Accumulation) — Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security
- Public Chapter 860 (2022) — minimum liability limits — Tennessee Secretary of State
- A.R.S. 28-661 to 28-667 (accidents and reports) — Arizona Legislature
- A.R.S. 28-4009 (liability policy limits) — Arizona Legislature
- A.R.S. 28-3392 to 28-3397 (defensive driving school) — Arizona Legislature
- Defensive Driving — FAQ — Arizona Supreme Court
General information as of Oct 23, 2026, not legal or immigration advice. Confirm with the employer, an immigration attorney or official sources before you act.
Texas RE PREP™Partner (affiliate)
Florida CAP Prep™Partner (affiliate)