Arkansas Crash Reports: State Police, SR-1 and Insurance Rules
Who has your crash report, what drivers must report, insurance rules and traffic deaths in Arkansas.
Two of the biggest routes meet in North Little Rock: I-40 runs from the Oklahoma line through Van Buren, Russellville, and Conway before crossing the Mississippi River into Memphis, while I-30 brings drivers up from Texarkana through Hope, Arkadelphia, and Benton. Meanwhile, I-49 connects Northwest Arkansas with Missouri to the north, and I-55 follows the Mississippi River along the state’s eastern edge.
With so much traffic moving along these routes, crashes can happen anywhere, and knowing which agency responded makes a difference when you need a copy of your report. The Arkansas State Police Highway Patrol Division operates out of 12 troops, each covering a group of counties, so where your crash happened and which officer responded will help determine where you need to start looking.
Who Has Your Arkansas Crash Report
An Arkansas State Police crash report costs $10 if you were involved in the crash and $25 if you were not, and anyone can request one. The State Police are the state’s official repository for crash records, and the ASP crash records page says the repository also holds copies of reports filed by city and county agencies. If a trooper worked your crash, the report comes from ASP. If city police or a sheriff’s deputy took it, that department has the original.
Online, reports are sold through the Crash Report Online Purchase System and delivered electronically. You can search with the crash report number alone, or with a driver’s name plus details such as date of birth, driver license number or crash date.
The system also runs a VIN search that shows whether a vehicle has been in an Arkansas crash. Its home page lists a $25 statutory fee per report, while ASP’s crash records page and its mail-in forms set $10 for people involved.
By mail, use the form for your category and send a check or money order payable to “Arkansas State Police” to Arkansas State Police, Crash Records Section, One State Police Plaza Drive, Little Rock, AR 72209. You can also request a report in person, usually at the troop headquarters that covers the county where the crash happened. ASP asks for the crash date, highway number, county, and the name of at least one driver, and the Crash Records Section answers at (501) 618-8130.
After a trooper’s supervisor reviews the report, it goes to the Little Rock repository, and most reports can be ordered within about 10 business days of the crash. ASP also posts preliminary fatal crash summaries listing the date, location, the people killed and injured, the vehicles, and the officer’s first account of the crash, and it says these summaries are not official reports and may differ from the final one.
Don’t want to deal with the forms, or not sure which agency took your report? We can get a copy of your report for you at no cost.
Police Reports From Arkansas Cities
Little Rock and Conway police offer crash reports online through BuyCrash, and the State Police repository is a second route for city and county reports. Start with the department that responded. The table opens with the statewide State Police route, followed by two city departments that post their crash report process:
| Department | How to request | Fee |
| Arkansas State Police | Crash Report Online Purchase System, by mail to the Crash Records Section, or at troop headquarters | $10 if involved, $25 if not |
| Little Rock Police | BuyCrash online, or the Records Division, 615 W. Markham St., weekdays 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., (501) 371-4654; reports are generally ready about 8 hours after they are taken | $5 to $10 |
| Conway Police | BuyCrash online, or the Records Section at 501-450-6120, weekdays 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. | Set at request |
What Arkansas Drivers Must Report
Under Arkansas Code section 27-53-202, the driver in a crash that injures or kills anyone, or causes apparent property damage of $3,000 or more, must notify the nearest law enforcement agency immediately.
Arkansas also has a driver-filed report, the SR-1. Section 27-19-501 requires it within 30 days when a crash injures or kills someone or does over $1,000 of damage to any one person’s property. It goes to the Office of Driver Services at the Department of Finance and Administration on the Vehicle Accident Report, form SR 1-21, and the DFA Safety Responsibility page says it is due regardless of fault. The office is in the Ragland Building, 1900 W. 7th St., Room 1120, Little Rock, AR 72203-1272, (501) 682-7100.
A driver who fails to file, or files false information, can have their license suspended until the report is in and for up to 30 days after, under section 27-19-508. After a crash, the office can also require a driver to post security unless they show insurance or another accepted option, such as a signed release, and a hearing request must reach the office within 20 days of that notice.
Arkansas Insurance Rules After a Crash
Arkansas policies must carry at least $25,000 for injury or death to one person, $50,000 for two or more people, and $25,000 for property damage, under Arkansas Code section 27-19-605.
Every private passenger policy also includes personal injury protection (PIP) unless the named insured rejects it in writing.
The minimum benefits are up to $5,000 for medical and hospital bills per person, income benefits of up to $140 a week, and a $5,000 death benefit under sections 23-89-202 and 23-89-203. Uninsured motorist coverage is built in at the same minimum limits unless rejected in writing under section 23-89-403. Insurers must also offer underinsured motorist coverage, which can be turned down in writing and is sold only alongside uninsured motorist coverage.
Claims for the rest of your losses go against the driver who caused the crash, usually through that driver’s liability insurer.
Under Arkansas Code section 16-64-122, a person whose share of the fault is equal to or greater than the other side’s recovers nothing. Below that line, the award is reduced by the person’s own share of the fault.
Arkansas Traffic Deaths by the Numbers
| Measure | Figure | Year | Source |
| People killed in traffic crashes | 569 | 2025 | Arkansas State Police |
| People killed in traffic crashes | 563 | 2024 | Arkansas State Police |
| Deaths in crashes with an alcohol-impaired driver | 157 (25% of all deaths) | 2023 | NHTSA FARS, via the Arkansas Highway Safety Office |
| Motorcyclists killed | 93 | 2023 | NHTSA FARS, via the Arkansas Highway Safety Office |
The State Police count has held between 563 and 569 deaths a year since 2023, down from 648 in 2021. The alcohol and motorcycle figures are the newest single-year federal counts in the Highway Safety Office’s 2025 annual report.
Arkansas Crash Guides by City and County
At Local Accident Reports, we cover crashes across the country, going county by county and then city by city. From car crashes and motorcycle wrecks to commercial and residential fires, we report on accidents happening in communities across the nation.
Arkansas is no exception. With 75 counties and 311 cities, accidents happen every day, and we work to keep people informed about what is happening in their communities. Beyond reporting when and where a crash happened, we also want to help drivers and commuters get to know the places they travel through. That includes highlighting major roads, busy routes, and dangerous intersections so people know what to expect when they get behind the wheel.
Here, you can find the latest accident reports from across Arkansas, covering counties and local communities alike, along with guides to some of the state’s most important cities and the roads that connect them.
County accident news: Pulaski County · Craighead County · Sebastian County · Washington County · Benton County · Garland County · Greene County · Hot Spring County
Road corridors with long crash records, based on 2016 to 2022 data, are covered on our Arkansas dangerous roads page.
Help After a Crash
- Local Accident Reports: After a crash, we can help you get a copy of your Arkansas crash report. So you can contact our team any time after your accident.
- Arkansas Crime Victims Reparations: Run by a board staffed through the Attorney General’s office, it helps pay costs for people hurt or killed in crashes that involve a violation of the state’s DWI law or an intentional act. Report the crime to police within 72 hours and file within five years; awards run up to $10,000, or $25,000 for a catastrophic injury causing total and permanent disability.
- MADD: Free support for people hurt by drunk or drugged drivers and for families who lost someone. 24-hour help line: 877-MADD-HELP.
- 911: Call 911 any time for support after an accident.
- Trauma centers. The state’s Level I trauma centers are UAMS and Arkansas Children’s Hospital, both in Little Rock, and the Arkansas Trauma System also includes Level I centers in Memphis and Springfield, Missouri, per the Department of Health’s designated trauma center list from January 2026.
Arkansas Crash Questions
How do I get an Arkansas State Police crash report?
Buy it online through ASP’s Crash Report Online Purchase System at crashreports.ark.org, mail the request form to the Crash Records Section in Little Rock, or ask at the troop headquarters for the county. Anyone can request one. The fee is $10 if you were in the crash and $25 if you were not, and most reports are ready within about 10 business days.
Do I have to file an SR-1 after a crash in Arkansas?
Yes, when the crash injured or killed someone or did over $1,000 of damage to any one person’s property. File the Vehicle Accident Report SR 1-21 with the DFA Office of Driver Services within 30 days, regardless of who was at fault. Failing to file can lead to a license suspension.
Is Arkansas a no-fault state?
No. Arkansas policies include personal injury protection unless you reject it in writing, and it pays up to $5,000 of your own medical bills. Claims for other losses go against the driver who caused the crash. You recover nothing if your share of the fault equals or tops the other side’s, and a smaller share reduces your award.
How long do I have to file a claim after an Arkansas crash?
Injury and property damage claims must be filed within three years of the crash under Arkansas Code section 16-56-105, and wrongful death claims within three years after the death under section 16-62-102. Claims against the State go to the State Claims Commission within the same period. For a crash with a city or county vehicle, recovery is capped at the state insurance minimums unless the government carries more under section 21-9-303.
Recent Arkansas Crash Coverage
Two Hospitalized After Crash Blocks NB US 49 in Brookland, AR
Semi-Truck Rollover Crash Blocks Highland Dr and Nestle Rd in Jonesboro, AR
Serious Motorcycle Crash on Elm Springs Rd in Springdale, AR
One Hospitalized After Two-Vehicle Crash on Old Greensboro Rd in Jonesboro, AR
One Injured in Two-Vehicle Crash at Caraway Rd in Jonesboro, AR
The full archive is at Arkansas accident news, and recent accident alerts follow new crashes nationwide as they are reported.
Local Accident Reports compiles this information from public agency sources and published reports for general reference. It is not legal advice and is not an official police record. Fees, forms and deadlines change, so confirm with the agency before you send a request. Last updated October 2026.