A new Florida law taking effect Oct. 1 raises the property-damage threshold for when drivers involved in a crash are required to notify law enforcement, a change that is already raising questions about how motorists are supposed to determine the cost of damage at the scene.<\/p>\n
Under the previous law, crashes involving an estimated $500 or more in property damage had to be reported to law enforcement. Under the new law, that threshold increases to $2,000.<\/p>\n
For some South Florida drivers, the change raises an immediate question: How is someone involved in a crash supposed to know whether the damage is above or below $2,000?<\/p>\n
“I think it’s a little unfair because how are people going to assess the damage?” driver Francisco Tschen said.<\/p>\n
Tschen said he has already decided what he would do if he is involved in a crash.<\/p>\n
“I will call the police regardless,” he said.<\/p>\n
SB 488 was passed during Florida’s 2026 legislative session and signed into law by Gov. Ron DeSantis in April.<\/p>\n
Personal injury attorney Mario Lopez told CBS News Miami the new threshold could create confusion, particularly when two drivers disagree about the extent of the damage.<\/p>\n
“The issue with the law is that it also doesn’t give any guidance to the drivers,” Lopez said. “What are they going to do at the scene when there is a dispute between the two drivers as to, ‘I think it’s less than $2,000, and now we shouldn’t call the police’?”<\/p>\n
Lopez said determining the cost of damage by simply looking at a vehicle can be difficult, especially with newer cars equipped with sophisticated electronics, sensors, and other components.<\/p>\n
“Our modern cars have a lot of electronics, have a lot of other moving parts that if your bumper gets bumped and one of those wires goes and you don’t see it, those damages may be more than $2,000,” Lopez said.<\/p>\n
The change does not mean drivers can simply leave the scene of a crash if they believe the damage is less than $2,000. Drivers still have responsibilities following a collision, including remaining at the scene and exchanging required information.<\/p>\n
The higher reporting threshold is primarily relevant to crashes involving property damage. Crashes involving injuries or fatalities still require law enforcement notification.<\/p>\n
Another South Florida driver, Xavier Pardo, said he would rather leave the determination to someone else.<\/p>\n
“You should call regardless and let the experts deal with the amounts, ’cause we don’t know,” Pardo said.<\/p>\n
Lopez also raised concerns about what could happen if someone initially believes they are not injured but begins experiencing pain later, particularly if no police report was filed.<\/p>\n
“Now you have a dispute, and the first question from that carrier of the responsible driver is going to say, ‘You told them that you were fine,'” Lopez said.<\/p>\n
He also said insurance companies often ask for police reports when claims are filed.<\/p>\n
Lopez was critical of the change, telling CBS News Miami, “This law really makes no sense.”<\/p>\n
For drivers involved in what appears to be a minor crash or fender-bender, the new law leaves them facing a decision at the scene: whether the visible \u2014 and potentially hidden \u2014 damage is worth more or less than $2,000.<\/p>\n