Easy Access To Crash Reports

Did you know that we Kentuckians drive over 47 billion miles a year and average over 145,000 traffic crashes reported annually? In 2009, approximately one out of sixteen licensed drivers in Kentucky was involved in some type of automobile crash. Although some of these crashes have tragic consequences, thankfully about two thirds of these crashes only involve some type of property damage. As a result, thousands of police reports are generated and requested by involved motorists, insurance companies, and attorneys each year in our state to be used in civil and criminal suits that often follow.

In response to this demand for timely information, the Kentucky State Police developed a program entitled BuyCRASH.com to allow affected citizens to purchase their accident reports from a secure website. This online service was released near the end of 2008 and has already shown to be a tremendous convenience to the public. Although not all jurisdictions are participating in the program, currently over one hundred police agencies across the Commonwealth are involved selling over 43,000 reports online last year.

Although accessing the new BuyCRASH report is a bit more expensive, the $10.00 fee generates additional revenues that are used for administrative services and hardware maintenance to keep the system as robust as possible. While many agencies still offer the traditional ‘walk-in’ service that is $5.00, we are seeing that many customers prefer the online convenience of BuyCRASH that’s saves both time and gasoline.

The BuyCRASH reporting system is easy to use and access. After completing the traffic collision report, the investigating officer gives each affected motorist an instructional card that details the step by step process to purchase the report online. As previously noted, traffic reports may still be purchased from the agency that investigates your crash. The BuyCRASH is another exciting program that the Kentucky State Police is offering to the citizens that we serve.