Arkansas court says accident reports are open to public

LITTLE ROCK — The Arkansas Supreme Court says Arkansas State Police were wrong to redact driver and survivor information on accident reports.

The court's opinion issued Thursday upholds a lower court's ruling that the information, including names and addresses of drivers and passengers in non-fatal auto accidents, is public information.

State police began redacting the information in response to a state law passed last year that withholds juvenile information. The agency cited the federal Driver Privacy Protection Act in deciding to withhold more than the juvenile records.

Little Rock attorney Daniel Wren filed the lawsuit for access to crash reports after his request for them was denied.

The court's ruling says personal information protected under the federal law specifically does not include information on accident reports.

Two justices dissented.

Read Friday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.

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