Nova Scotia's new Traffic Safety Act, effective October 19, requires repair shops to report vehicles showing evidence of collision damage or bullet damage to police within 24 hours of arrival, with detailed vehicle and owner information, or face a maximum fine of $600.
- Repair shops must report collision damage to police within 24 hours of vehicle arrival, not just to insurers
- Reportable collisions involve bodily injury, death, or property damage of $2,000 or more
- Reports must include vehicle details (make, model, year, VIN) and owner and contact information
- Failure to report carries a maximum fine of $600
- New rules also establish requirements for total loss appraisals, salvage classifications, and rebuilt vehicle determinations
Repairers are facing clearer rules on their duty to report collision damage within 24 hours when Nova Scotia’s new Traffic Safety Act takes effect Oct. 19.
The person in charge of a garage or repair shop must report a vehicle showing evidence of involvement in a reportable collision or of having been struck by a bullet.
The deadline runs from the vehicle’s arrival at the shop. Reports must go to the police department responsible for the area where the shop is located or to a peace officer.
A reportable collision involves bodily injury, death or property damage of $2,000 or more. The vehicle does not have to be a total loss or have structural damage. Bullet damage is a separate reporting trigger.
The existing Motor Vehicle Act already requires garages to report evidence of a serious accident or bullet damage within 24 hours. The replacement framework uses the defined reportable collision standard.
It also provides a broader exception for incidents already reported.
Under Section 222, another report is unnecessary if the person in charge has reason to believe the required information has already been reported to police or a peace officer. Notification to an insurer alone is not identified as grounds for that exception.
The shop’s report must include the vehicle’s make, model, year and vehicle identification number, along with the name and contact information of whoever brought or left it at the shop.
The owner’s registry client number must be included if available, as must the name and contact information of the owner or person in charge of the vehicle.
Failure to notify police as required carries a maximum fine of $600.
The reporting provisions form part of a wider overhaul of traffic legislation, including rules governing total loss appraisals, salvage classifications and rebuilt vehicles. Public Works Minister Fred Tilley released the regulations Oct. 7.
“When we leave our homes, every Nova Scotian expects to return safely at the end of the day,” Tilley said.
Before paying a damage claim on the basis that a vehicle is a total loss, an insurer must engage a qualified damage appraiser to examine it.
The appraiser must determine whether the vehicle is a total loss and, if so, whether it qualifies as salvage or is non-repairable. Qualified appraisers must have at least two years of experience in vehicle repair and bodywork.
Following a total loss determination, the insurer must notify the Registrar of Motor Vehicles of the vehicle’s salvage or non-repairable status within five days of paying the claim.
Owners face a separate requirement where no insurance payment has been made. If damage is serious enough that an owner presumes the vehicle to be a total loss, the owner must report the damage within 30 days of the incident.
A vehicle reported through that process is presumed non-repairable. An owner seeking salvage status must engage a qualified appraiser. If the appraiser determines that it qualifies as salvage, that determination must reach the registrar within five days.
These deadlines are separate from the shop’s 24-hour police reporting duty.
The total loss calculation compares estimated repair costs with the vehicle’s market value immediately before the damage or theft, less its salvage value. Flood vehicles also qualify as total losses.
The flood definition includes immersion to the bottom of the dashboard or a level affecting major electrical components. It also includes toxic contamination that makes the vehicle unsafe.
Flood vehicles fall within the non-repairable category. Other listed cases include heat damage affecting high-strength steel, fire or heat damage in two or more compartments, and extensive damage requiring replacement of both cab and frame on a full-frame vehicle.
Specified unibody damage also qualifies, including damage involving the passenger compartment floor, cowl and A-pillar, or the rocker panel and B-pillar extending into the floor. An opening made in a unibody during rescue or recovery is another listed condition.
A salvage vehicle must be a total loss that is not a flood vehicle and can be repaired to qualify for rebuilt status.
Obtaining rebuilt status requires an application to the registrar with certification that all applicable inspections have been passed. Vehicles classified as salvage or non-repairable are ineligible for regular number plates and vehicle permits.
For businesses operating inspection stations, records must be retained for three years. The deadline for notifying the registrar of an ownership change falls to 10 days from 14.
