(1) The department, not less than twenty days after receipt of a report of an accident as described in the preceding section, shall determine the amount of security which shall be sufficient in its judgment to satisfy any judgment or judgments for damages resulting from such accident as may be recovered against each driver or owner. Such determination shall not be made with respect to drivers or owners who are exempt under succeeding sections of this chapter from the requirements as to security and suspension.

Terms Used In Washington Code 46.29.070

  • Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.
  • judgment: shall mean : Any judgment which shall have become final by expiration without appeal of the time within which an appeal might have been perfected, or by final affirmation on appeal, rendered by a court of competent jurisdiction of any state or of the United States, upon a cause of action arising out of the ownership, maintenance or use of any vehicle of a type subject to registration under the laws of this state, for damages, including damages for care and loss of services, because of bodily injury to or death of any person, or for damages because of injury to or destruction of property, including the loss of use thereof, or upon a cause of action on an agreement of settlement for such damages. See Washington Code 46.29.270
  • owner: as used in this chapter shall mean registered owner as defined in RCW 46. See Washington Code 46.29.020
  • person: may be construed to include the United States, this state, or any state or territory, or any public or private corporation or limited liability company, as well as an individual. See Washington Code 1.16.080
(2) The department shall determine the amount of security deposit required of any person upon the basis of the reports or other information submitted. In the event a person involved in an accident as described in this chapter fails to make a report or submit information indicating the extent of his or her injuries or the damage to his or her property within one hundred eighty days after the accident and the department does not have sufficient information on which to base an evaluation of such injuries or damage, then the department after reasonable notice to such person, if it is possible to give such notice, otherwise without such notice, shall not require any deposit of security for the benefit or protection of such person.
(3) The department after receipt of report of any accident referred to herein and upon determining the amount of security to be required of any person involved in such accident or to be required of the owner of any vehicle involved in such accident shall give written notice to every such person of the amount of security required to be deposited by him or her and that an order of suspension will be made as hereinafter provided not less than twenty days and not more than sixty days after the sending of such notice unless within said time security be deposited as required by said notice.

NOTES:

Proof of financial security for the future required in addition to security after accident: RCW 46.29.420.
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