Police Reports in Washington
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About Washington Police Reports
Important Information
Updated forms in 2006. Electronic filing available in Seattle area
Processing Details
Seattle area has electronic filing
Additional Notes
Updated code sheets from 2006
Available Report Types
- Form 3000345159
- Form 30034513
- Local Reports
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Washington Police Traffic Collision Report (PTCR)
Official Report Forms
Form overview
Washington's crash report is officially called the Police Traffic Collision Report. The form's header identifies it as WA PAR Rev. 7/2006 (Sub 4/24/07). The Washington State Patrol maintains the form and instructs local police departments and sheriff's offices to use it for all reportable crashes involving injury, death or property damage above a statutory threshold. The form is four pages long with a supplemental sheet for commercial vehicles. Each field on the report corresponds to a code on an accompanying coding sheet. By using numeric codes for common variables—such as weather, road surface, vehicle type and contributing factors—Washington can upload the data into its statewide crash database and share it with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Section breakdown
Page 1 – Crash basics, driver and vehicle information
The first page of the PTCR provides a snapshot of the collision. At the top, the investigating officer records the date, time and location of the crash, including the street name, nearest cross street or milepost and the geographic coordinates. Spaces are provided to note whether the crash occurred within city limits or on a state highway, whether the roadway was part of a work zone and whether it took place at an intersection or driveway. The officer also selects codes to indicate weather and road conditions (clear, cloudy, rain, snow, dry, wet, icy) and the light conditions (daylight, dawn/dusk, dark with streetlights or dark without streetlights). A box labeled "Number of Units" records how many vehicles or non‑motorist units were involved in the crash. Page 1 also contains two mirrored sections for Vehicle 1 and Vehicle 2, similar to Virginia's form but tailored to Washington's coding system. For each vehicle, the officer records the driver's name, address, driver's license number, date of birth and phone number. Additional fields note whether the driver was using a seat belt or helmet, the severity of any injuries, whether the driver was ejected, and whether the driver required extrication. The vehicle section captures the make, model, year, color, license plate number and state. Officers check boxes to indicate if the vehicle was towed or driven away and whether it was used for a commercial purpose (bus, taxi, police car). At the bottom of the page, there is space to list additional vehicles or non‑motorists if the crash involved more than two units. Each PTCR includes the investigating officer's name, badge number and agency, ensuring accountability and providing a contact for follow‑up questions.
Page 2 – Passengers, witnesses, diagram and narrative
The second page focuses on the people involved and the officer's description of the crash. The top half of the page lists passengers and witnesses. For each passenger, the officer records their name, contact information, seating position and injury status. Witnesses' names, addresses and phone numbers are also listed. This information is vital in legal disputes; witnesses can provide independent accounts of what happened, and their contact details allow attorneys to follow up. The officer notes whether each passenger or witness remained at the scene or left before the report was completed. The middle of page 2 features a crash diagram. Similar to Virginia's narrative page, this diagram shows the roadway layout, lanes, traffic control devices and the paths of the vehicles. Officers draw arrows indicating direction of travel and mark the point of impact. Adjacent to the diagram is a narrative section where the officer describes the sequence of events in plain language. The narrative includes information not captured by codes—such as driver statements, eyewitness observations or unusual circumstances (a deer running into the road, for example). Because the narrative is free‑form, it can reveal details that are critical for insurers and attorneys but might not fit neatly into coded fields.
Page 3 – Commercial vehicle and additional vehicle information
The third page of the PTCR is used when the crash involves a commercial vehicle or more than two vehicles. For commercial vehicles, officers record the vehicle configuration (single unit truck, tractor‑trailer, bus), cargo body type (van, flatbed, tanker) and whether hazardous materials were present. They also note the motor carrier's name, address, U.S. DOT number and phone number. For each additional vehicle beyond the first two, the officer enters the same information collected on page 1. This ensures that multi‑vehicle crashes are thoroughly documented and that commercial motor carriers can be held accountable under federal regulations. The bottom of page 3 provides space for additional non‑motorist units, such as pedestrians, bicyclists or other road users.
Page 4 and supplements – Additional pages if needed
Washington's PTCR system allows for supplemental pages. While the standard form ends at page 3, officers may attach additional sheets to document more vehicles, passengers or narrative details. For example, a separate commercial vehicle supplemental form collects detailed information about cargo weight, route numbers and driver's hours of service. Another supplemental form may be used for collisions involving pedestrians or cyclists, recording their actions and contributing circumstances. Each supplemental page references the original report number to maintain continuity.
Codes and coding sheet
Like many states, Washington uses a coding sheet to translate descriptive information into numeric codes. The codes on page 1 describe weather, road surface, light conditions, traffic control devices and the manner of collision. For example, code 01 might represent "clear weather," code 02 "cloudy," and code 03 "rain." Page 2 codes describe injury severity and occupant seating positions. Commercial vehicle codes on page 3 differentiate between tractor‑semi‑trailers, double trailers and buses. Using codes instead of free text allows the Washington Traffic Safety Commission to analyze thousands of crashes quickly and consistently, identifying trends such as increases in distracted driving or collisions in work zones.
Use cases
Law enforcement and crash analysis
Washington law enforcement agencies rely on the PTCR to reconstruct collisions and determine fault. The form's structured fields ensure that officers collect the same data every time, enabling supervisors and reconstruction specialists to verify the accuracy of the report. Codes for driver behavior, weather and road conditions help investigators identify contributing factors. The narrative and diagram provide context that can support criminal charges, such as vehicular assault or driving under the influence. By aggregating PTCR data, traffic enforcement units can pinpoint areas with high crash rates and direct patrols accordingly.
Insurance and claims processing
Insurance companies use the PTCR to evaluate claims and assign liability. Page 1's driver and vehicle sections provide objective facts about the parties involved, while page 2's narrative may reveal admission of fault or statements that clarify the sequence of events. The injury information helps insurers assess medical claims, and the vehicle damage descriptions support estimates for repairs. Because the report lists each party's insurance company and policy number, insurers can quickly contact one another to resolve claims. If a commercial vehicle is involved, page 3 ensures that the motor carrier's insurance is properly identified.
Transportation planning and safety programs
The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) and the Washington Traffic Safety Commission analyze PTCR data to improve road safety. By examining patterns in the manner of collision, first harmful event and contributing factors, researchers can identify problem locations and target countermeasures. For example, a high incidence of rear‑end collisions at a particular intersection might prompt signal timing adjustments or installation of advance warning signs. Work zone codes help planners evaluate whether temporary traffic control devices are effective. Weather and road surface codes enable forecasting of crash risks during winter storms, informing de‑icing and snow‑removal operations.
Legal proceedings
Attorneys representing crash victims or defending drivers use the PTCR as foundational evidence. The form's narrative and diagram provide contemporaneous accounts of the crash that can be persuasive in court. Codes indicating driver impairment, distracted driving or failure to yield can support negligence claims. Conversely, defense attorneys scrutinize the report for inaccuracies or missing information that could reduce liability. In multi‑vehicle or commercial vehicle crashes, page 3 ensures that all parties are identified, preventing defendants from escaping accountability.
Public health and research
Public health researchers study PTCR data to understand injury patterns and evaluate safety interventions. The form's injury codes classify severity and describe the mechanism of injury (e.g., ejection, seat belt use, airbag deployment). Researchers can correlate these codes with hospital data to assess the effectiveness of seat belts, child restraints and vehicle safety features. Data on pedestrian and cyclist crashes inform initiatives like Safe Routes to School and the design of protected bike lanes. Because the PTCR uses standardized codes, researchers can compare Washington's data with national databases.
Conclusion
The Washington Police Traffic Collision Report (PTCR) exemplifies the importance of standardized police reports and crash reports. By capturing uniform data on crash circumstances, vehicle and driver information, injuries and environmental conditions, the form supports a broad range of users: law enforcement officers reconstruct collisions, insurers evaluate claims fairly, engineers design safer roads, attorneys litigate complex cases and researchers identify trends to guide public policy. The PTCR's coding system converts real‑world events into analyzable data, enabling Washington to make evidence‑based decisions that save lives and reduce injuries. In a state with diverse terrain and weather, this consistency is essential for protecting drivers, passengers, pedestrians and cyclists.
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Spokane Valley
County: Spokane
Population: 105.460
ZIP Codes: 99206, 99016, 99212...
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