Maryland Crash Reports: State Police, MDTA and Insurance Rules
Who has your crash report, what drivers must report, insurance rules and traffic deaths in Maryland.
For example, I-95 runs beneath Baltimore's harbor through the Fort McHenry Tunnel before continuing north toward Delaware as the JFK Memorial Highway. Meanwhile, the Bay Bridge carries US 50 and 301 across the Chesapeake Bay toward the Eastern Shore, while the Nice Bridge takes US 301 over the Potomac River into Virginia. Further inland, the ICC connects I-370 at Shady Grove with I-95 near Laurel, giving drivers another route across the region.
With so many busy roads connecting different parts of Maryland, crashes can involve several different agencies, including state troopers, toll facility police, and county departments. That means where your accident happened is important, since it determines which agency handled the crash and where you will need to request your report.
Who Has Your Maryland Crash Report
Maryland State Police troopers investigate crashes statewide out of barracks around Maryland. The Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA) Police take reports on the toll bridges and tunnels. On the JFK Memorial Highway, the State Police provide law enforcement under a contract with the MDTA.
Baltimore City and the county police departments listed below handle crashes on their own streets, and the State Police send anyone asking about a Baltimore City crash to the Baltimore Police Department’s Central Records.
State Police reports cost a $4.00 non-refundable document search fee, paid by check or money order to the Maryland State Police. Cash is not accepted. Wait at least 10 days after the crash before you ask, and know that reports go only to people the State Police call “legally entitled parties.”
You can request a State Police report five ways:
- At the barracks where the report was filed. Call ahead to make sure it is ready.
- By mail, sending the request form with your check or money order to the Central Records Division.
- In person at the Central Records Division, weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The division’s phone number is 410-281-2700.
- By email, send the completed request form, then mail the $4 check or money order.
- Through the online request form linked on that page.
Toll facility reports come from the MDTA Police Central Records Unit, 4330 Broening Highway, Baltimore, MD 21222. Wait seven days after the crash, then mail the crash details, a phone number, and a self-addressed, stamped business-size envelope, or go in person weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., except state holidays. Call 410-537-7710 first to check that the report is in.
Don’t want to chase barracks and records units, or not sure which agency took your report? We can get a copy of your report for you at no cost.
Police Reports From Baltimore and Maryland County Police
Baltimore Police release crash reports from January 1, 2011 onward only online, through LexisNexis BuyCrash, and the Prince George’s and Anne Arundel county police sell reports through the same vendor. Start with the department that responded to your crash. These are the confirmed routes:
| Department | How to request | Fee |
| Baltimore Police (Baltimore City) | BuyCrash online for reports from 2011 onward; older reports by email to the Community Correspondence Unit | Set at request |
| Baltimore County Police | By mail to Records Requests, 700 East Joppa Road, Towson, MD 21286-5501, with a business-size SASE; about two weeks after the investigation closes | $15 |
| Montgomery County Police | MCPD Records Center online, or by mail to 100 Edison Park Drive, Gaithersburg; ready in about 3 to 5 days | $10 |
| Prince George’s County Police | BuyCrash or Crashdocs with the case number and an involved party’s name, or Police Records at 6420 Allentown Road, Camp Springs; wait at least 72 hours | $10, with a $1.50 service charge for credit cards |
| Anne Arundel County Police | BuyCrash for reports from 2022 on, or a public records (PIA) request to Central Records, 8495 Veterans Highway, Millersville | $15 through BuyCrash; $5 by PIA request |
Montgomery and Prince George’s release crash reports only to the people involved and check photo ID. Baltimore County’s fee is nonrefundable, so check the date and location before you mail a request.
What Maryland Drivers Must Report
Under Maryland Transportation Article section 20-102, a driver in a crash that injures or kills someone must stop as close to the scene as possible and stay there. Section 20-104 then requires the driver to give reasonable help, including arranging a ride to a doctor or hospital, and to hand over a name, address, and registration number and show a license on request. If no officer is there and nobody can take that information, the driver must report the crash right away to the nearest police office.
Leaving an injury crash can result in up to a year in jail, a $3,000 fine, or both. When the driver knew or reasonably should have known the crash might cause a death and a death occurred, leaving is a felony carrying up to 10 years, a $10,000 fine, or both.
Section 20-107 requires a written report to the Motor Vehicle Administration (MVA) within 15 days for any crash that injures or kills someone, filed with proof of liability insurance. That report is not required when a police officer investigates the crash and files a report with the State Police.
Maryland Insurance Rules After a Crash
Maryland policies must carry at least $30,000 for injury or death to one person, $60,000 for two or more people, and $15,000 for property damage under section 17-103. The same law requires personal injury protection (PIP) and uninsured motorist coverage.
The required minimum PIP pays up to $2,500 per person, regardless of who caused the crash, for medical bills from the 3 years after it, 85% of lost income, and essential household services. It covers you, family in your household, people driving your car with permission, passengers, and pedestrians your car hits, unless the policyholder waived or rejected it. Some policyholders with health insurance may waive it.
Every policy includes uninsured motorist coverage at least equal to the minimums, and it matches your liability limits unless you waived the higher amount in writing. Since July 1, 2024, new policies get enhanced underinsured motorist coverage automatically unless the policyholder signs to decline it. With it, your own underinsured coverage pays on top of what the at-fault driver’s insurance pays.
Past PIP claims run against the at-fault driver’s liability insurance. Maryland also keeps contributory negligence: in Coleman v. Soccer Ass’n of Columbia (2013), the state’s highest court declined to drop the rule, under which a person found partly at fault for their own injury is generally barred from recovering.
Maryland Traffic Deaths by the Numbers
| Measure | Figure | Year | Source |
| People killed in traffic crashes (preliminary) | 480 | 2025 | Maryland Department of Transportation |
| Pedestrians and bicyclists killed (preliminary) | 116 | 2025 | Maryland Department of Transportation |
| People killed in traffic crashes | 582 | 2024 | MDOT Highway Safety Office, Vision Zero report |
The 2025 total was the state’s first year under 500 traffic deaths since 2014.
Maryland Crash Guides by City and County
At Local Accident Reports, we cover crashes across the country, going county by county and city by city to report on car crashes, motorcycle wrecks, commercial and residential fires, and all kinds of other accidents.
Maryland is no exception. With 23 counties and 1 independent city, accidents happen across the state every day, and we work to keep people informed. But our coverage goes beyond reporting when and where a crash occurred. We also help drivers and commuters get to know the places they travel through, from major roads and busy highways to some of the most dangerous intersections, giving them a better idea of what to expect when they get behind the wheel.
Here, you can find the latest accident reports from Maryland’s counties and communities, along with guides to some of the state’s most important cities and the roads that connect them.
County accident news: Baltimore County · Montgomery County · Wicomico County · Prince George's County · Worcester County · St. Mary's County · Anne Arundel County · Charles County
Compare nearby states: Northeast crash reports and car accident laws by state · No-fault states and insurance minimums in all 50 states
Questions about getting, reading or correcting a police report? See our accident report FAQ.
Road stretches with high crash counts around the state are on our Maryland dangerous intersections page.
Help After a Crash
- Local Accident Reports. After a crash, we can connect you with local help, from doctors and body shops to injury attorneys. Contact our team.
- Criminal Injuries Compensation Board Run by the Governor’s Office of Crime Prevention and Policy, it helps victims of crimes with their costs. Crashes count only when they involve a listed traffic crime, such as drunk or impaired driving or a hit-and-run, and ordinary crashes do not. File within four years. 410-585-3010 or 888-679-9347.
- MADD Victim services for people hurt by drunk or drugged drivers and for their families. 24-hour help line: 877-MADD-HELP (877-623-3435).
- 911. Call or text 911 after an accident for support.
- Trauma centers. The R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center is Maryland’s Primary Adult Resource Center, The Johns Hopkins Hospital is an adult Level I center, and Johns Hopkins Children’s Center is the pediatric Level I center, per MIEMSS’s trauma center list.
Maryland Crash Questions
How do I get a Maryland State Police crash report?
Wait at least 10 days after the crash, then ask at the barracks that wrote it, mail the request form to the Central Records Division, go to that division in person on a weekday, or send the form by email or online. Every route costs a $4 non-refundable search fee, paid by check or money order to the Maryland State Police.
How do I get a crash report from a Maryland toll bridge or tunnel?
The Maryland Transportation Authority Police handle those. Wait seven days, then mail the crash details, your phone number, and a stamped, self-addressed business envelope to Central Records, 4330 Broening Highway, Baltimore, MD 21222, or go there in person on a weekday. Call ahead to confirm the report is ready.
Is Maryland a no-fault state?
No. Every policy carries at least $2,500 of personal injury protection that pays medical bills and lost wages, regardless of who caused the crash, unless it was waived. Losses beyond that are claimed from the at-fault driver’s insurer. Maryland follows contributory negligence, so a person found partly at fault for their own injury is generally barred from recovering.
How long do I have to file a car accident claim in Maryland?
Three years for injury claims under Courts and Judicial Proceedings section 5-101, and three years from the date of death for wrongful death claims under section 3-904. A claim against a county or city needs written notice within one year of the injury under section 5-304, and a claim against the State goes to the Treasurer in writing within one year under State Government section 12-106.
Recent Maryland Crash Coverage
Two Hurt in Two-Vehicle Crash at Worcester Hwy and Bishopville Rd in Bishopville, MD
Injuries Reported in Crash at Walston Switch Rd and Shavox Rd in Salisbury, MD
Crash With Entrapment Injures Driver at South Sandgates Rd and Three Notch Rd in Hollywood, MD
Injuries Reported in Crash on Main St in Grasonville, MD
Two Drivers Killed in Wrong-Way Crash on I-95 NB in Elkridge, MD
The full archive is at Maryland 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.