Lake County Gazette

In an effort to make the roadways safer and increase the efficiency of the accident reporting process, Illinois State Police (ISP) announced a new online reporting system for single-vehicle, non-injury crashes. Rep. Tom Weber shared this information with his constituents in an Aug. 1 Facebook post.

"The Illinois State Police new Civilian Crash Reporting System (CCRS) allows the public to create a crash report online without having to wait roadside for police to respond," Weber wrote.

“For simple crashes where only one car is involved and no one is injured, the ability to file a report online instead of along the road will make it safer for drivers and our troopers, and eliminate the need to wait for a trooper to make the report,” said Illinois State Police Director Brendan F. Kelly, in an Aug. 1 press release.

In his Facebook post, Weber shared a link to a WGEM report about the new system. The Civilian Crash Reporting System will be useful when a crash is a “single-vehicle, property-damage-only crash where there were no injuries to anyone involved, and it occurred on either an interstate or a U.S. or Illinois Route,” according to the WGEM article. When there are multiple vehicles involved or there are injuries, drivers must wait for a trooper to file a report.

The State of Illinois requires that crashes are reported to law enforcement, according to the Illinois State Police, when “there is injury or death of any person; there is damage over $1,500 to any single vehicle or property; and there is over $500 damage to any uninsured vehicle.” And, if there are multiple drivers involved in a crash, each of them is required to file a report. Drivers must file reports within 10 days with the Illinois State Police.

The Illinois police offer detailed instructions on how to use the online reporting system in a YouTube video. The official news release from the ISP notes that after submitting a report, drivers will get a receipt number and the opportunity to print their crash report. If they wish to obtain a copy of the final approved crash report, there is a $5 fee.

Weber represents the people of the 64th District and has done so since January 2019. He is a lifelong resident of Lake Villa and a former member of the Lake County Board and Forest Preserve Board.