Car accident in Toronto? Here’s what to do, step by step.
You only have to call police for a collision with injuries or more than $5,000 in total damage. The old $2,000 threshold changed on January 1, 2025 — a lot of advice online is still out of date.
The minutes after a collision are when drivers make the mistakes that cost them later: moving on without the other driver’s insurance details, skipping photos, or calling 911 for a fender-bender that belongs at a reporting centre. Here is the whole sequence, in the order you’ll actually do it.
Got a ticket at the scene?
Officers often lay a charge after a collision — careless driving, following too closely, an unsafe turn. Snap a photo of the ticket and Drivee tells you what it really costs and whether it’s worth fighting.
In this guide
At the scene: the first five minutes
- Stop and stay. Every driver involved must remain at the scene, or return to it immediately, and give whatever help is needed. Leaving is an offence in itself.
- Check for injuries. If anyone is hurt — even if they say they’re fine — call 911.
- Move the cars if you can. If nobody is injured and the vehicles can be driven, get them off the road. Ontario’s handbook puts it as “Steer it, Clear it.” Turn on your hazard lights.
- Don’t argue fault. Fault for insurance purposes is decided later, under fixed rules — nothing you concede at the roadside helps you. Be polite, be brief, and stick to facts.
What to exchange with the other driver
Even when damage is under $5,000 and no police are involved, you are required by law to exchange information with anyone whose vehicle was damaged. Get:
- Their full name and address
- The registered owner’s name and address, if it isn’t their car
- Licence plate and vehicle permit number
- Their insurance company and policy number (photograph the pink liability card)
- Their driver’s licence number
- Names and phone numbers of any witnesses
Both cars from every side, the damage up close, the plates, the street signs, the lanes and the traffic lights. Photos taken in the first ten minutes settle more disputes than anything said afterwards.
Do you need to call the police?
Under Ontario’s Highway Traffic Act, a collision must be reported to police when:
- anyone is injured, or
- the combined damage to vehicles and property is more than $5,000, or
- public property is damaged — a light pole, a guardrail, a sign.
Call 911 when someone is hurt, a driver may be impaired, or a driver leaves without exchanging information. For everything else — no injuries, cars drivable — Toronto Police don’t come to the scene. You go to a collision reporting centre instead.
Repair costs on modern cars add up fast: a bumper with parking sensors can pass $2,000 on its own. If you’re unsure whether damage is over $5,000, report it. An unnecessary report costs you an hour; an unreported reportable collision can cost you a charge.
Toronto’s collision reporting centres
Toronto drivers report non-injury collisions in person at one of two Toronto Police collision reporting centres:
- Toronto North — 113 Toryork Drive, North York
- Toronto East — 39 Howden Road, Scarborough
There is also a separate downtown centre for collisions involving pedestrians and cyclists. Check tps.ca for current hours before you go.
Report as soon as you can, and bring the vehicle — staff photograph the damage. Also bring your driver’s licence, ownership, proof of insurance, and the details you collected from the other driver. You’ll leave with a report number, which your insurer will ask for.
Tell your insurer — the 7-day clock
Call your insurance company or broker as soon as possible, even if you weren’t at fault and even if you plan to pay for the damage yourself. If you were injured, the deadlines are strict:
- Within 7 days of the accident, tell your insurer you intend to apply for accident benefits.
- Within 30 days of receiving the application package, submit the completed Application for Accident Benefits (form OCF-1).
Missing these can get benefits denied unless you have a reasonable explanation. In Ontario you claim accident benefits from your own insurer, no matter who caused the crash.
Several accident benefits — income replacement, non-earner, caregiver, and lost educational expenses — are now optional coverage instead of automatic. Medical, rehabilitation and attendant care stay mandatory, and your auto insurer now pays those first, before any workplace or private health plan. Check what your policy actually includes before you need it.
Tow trucks at the scene
Tow trucks sometimes arrive before you’ve even stepped out of the car. Since January 1, 2024, Ontario’s towing law gives you real rights:
- You choose who tows your car and where it goes — unless police direct otherwise.
- Every tow operator needs a provincial certificate, and the name and certificate number must be displayed on the truck. You can check an operator’s certificate and maximum rates on ontario.ca.
- They must get your written consent before towing, on a form that respects the province’s maximum rates.
Call your insurer before agreeing if you can — many have a preferred tow and repair network, and storage fees at a yard you didn’t choose add up daily. Don’t sign anything you haven’t read, and never sign a repair authorization at the roadside.
If you got a ticket
Police often lay a charge after a collision even when nobody was hurt. The most common is careless driving, which carries 6 demerit points and is treated by insurers as a major conviction. Others include following too closely, an unsafe lane change, or failing to yield on a turn.
The ticket and the insurance claim are separate. Your insurer decides fault under Ontario’s Fault Determination Rules whether or not you were charged — but a conviction is a second hit to your premium on top of the claim. That is why it pays to look at your options within the 15 days printed on the ticket rather than just paying it. Paying is a guilty plea.
Were you charged after the collision?
A conviction from an accident follows you into your insurance for years. Upload the ticket and see the points, the real cost, and who can take it — free, no signup.
Common questions
Do I have to report a minor car accident in Ontario?
Only if someone is injured, the combined damage is more than $5,000, or public property was damaged. You must still exchange information with the other driver for any collision where a vehicle was damaged.
What changed with the $2,000 reporting rule?
On January 1, 2025, Ontario raised the reporting threshold from $2,000 to $5,000 in combined damage, to reflect what repairs on modern cars actually cost.
Where do I report a car accident in Toronto?
Non-injury collisions are reported in person at a Toronto Police collision reporting centre: Toronto North at 113 Toryork Drive or Toronto East at 39 Howden Road. Bring the vehicle, your licence, ownership and insurance. Check tps.ca for hours.
How long do I have to tell my insurance company?
Tell them as soon as possible. If you were injured, you must notify your insurer within 7 days that you intend to apply for accident benefits, and return the OCF-1 application within 30 days of receiving it.
Should I pay the other driver privately to avoid an insurance claim?
Sometimes it makes sense for small damage, because Ontario protects your first minor at-fault accident in three years from a rate increase if no insurer pays anything, nobody is hurt, and damage is under $2,000 per vehicle. Tell your insurer about the accident anyway — most policies require it.