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How to read a Texas crash report (CR-3): codes and fields

What the sections and numbered codes on a Texas crash report (CR-3) mean, where TxDOT's official code sheet is, and how a report is corrected.

8 min readPublished October 22, 2026Last updated October 22, 2026Edited by Joseph Budzinski, CTO, InjuryClaimGuide

The short answer

A Texas crash report (the Texas Peace Officer's Crash Report, form CR-3) is the report a police officer, sheriff's deputy or state trooper files with TxDOT after investigating a crash. Most of its boxes hold a number or letter code, and each numbered field points to a numbered list on TxDOT's official code sheet, Form CR-3CS. The contributing-factor codes record the investigating officer's opinion of what contributed to the crash. A report can be changed only by the officer who wrote it or by a written supplement, so a correction request goes to the agency that investigated the crash.

This guide explains how to read your own report. It is general information, not legal advice, and it does not say how any insurer or court will treat a report.

Key facts (as of 2026-10-22)

  • Who writes it. A law enforcement officer who investigates a crash must make a written report if the crash resulted in injury or death, or in damage to the property of any one person to the apparent extent of $1,000 or more, and must file it electronically with TxDOT within ten days (Transp. Code §550.062).
  • The form. The form must be approved by TxDOT and the Department of Public Safety (§550.063). The current CR-3 is dated 4/1/2023 and is used for crashes on or after April 1, 2023 (TxDOT forms page).
  • The code sheet. Form CR-3CS (4/1/2023) says: "Numbered Fields on the CR-3 Refer to the Numbered Lists on this Code Sheet."
  • The officers' manual. TxDOT's CR-100 instructions (version 29.0, 6/4/2025) explain each field to officers.
  • Changes. A change that alters a material fact may be made only by the officer who prepared the report, or by a written supplement that clearly names the person who originated the change (§550.068).
  • Getting a copy. Who may buy the full report, and the fees, are set by §550.065; see Getting your Texas crash report and How to get a crash report in Houston.

What are the main sections of a CR-3?

TxDOT's CR-100 manual walks officers through the form in this order:

  • Classification identifiers first, such as whether the crash was fatal, and a box that marks a supplemental report. TxDOT's system adds a unique Crash ID after it receives the report.
  • Identification and location: the crash date and time, county and city, the road the crash occurred on and the roadway part, and the intersecting or nearest road.
  • Vehicle, driver and persons: one block for each "unit" (a vehicle, pedestrian, cyclist or other road user), with the driver and every person involved, their injury code, restraint use and similar details.
  • Report identifiers: the agency's Case ID and the TxDOT Crash ID.
  • Disposition of injured or killed, charges and damage.
  • Commercial motor vehicle section, completed when a commercial vehicle is involved.
  • Factors and conditions: the contributing-factor codes, vehicle defects, weather, light, road surface and traffic control.
  • Narrative and diagram: the "Investigator's Narrative Opinion of What Happened", which the manual says must, with the diagram, "describe the main events of the crash, including the direction of travel prior to the crash and the area of impact".
  • Investigator: when the officer was notified and arrived, whether the investigation is complete, and the officer's name, ID number and agency.

How do the numbered codes work?

Each numbered field on the CR-3 matches a numbered list on the code sheet. A few lists that readers look up most often (Form CR-3CS, 4/1/2023):

List on the code sheetCodes (as printed by TxDOT)
2. Roadway Part1 = Main/Proper Lane; 2 = Service/Frontage Road; 3 = Entrance/On Ramp; 4 = Exit/Off Ramp; 5 = Connector/Flyover; 98 = Other
5. Unit Description1 = Motor Vehicle; 2 = Train; 3 = Pedalcyclist; 4 = Pedestrian; 5 = Motorized Conveyance; 6 = Towed/Pushed/Trailer; 7 = Non-Contact; 98 = Other
14. Person Type1 = Driver; 2 = Passenger/Occupant; 3 = Pedalcyclist; 4 = Pedestrian; 5 = Driver of Motorcycle Type Vehicle; 6 = Passenger/Occupant on Motorcycle Type Vehicle
16. Injury SeverityK = Fatal Injury; A = Suspected Serious Injury; B = Suspected Minor Injury; C = Possible Injury; N = Not Injured; 99 = Unknown
20. Restraint Used1 = Shoulder and Lap Belt; 2 = Shoulder Belt Only; 3 = Lap Belt Only; 4 to 7 = child seats and booster seats; 96 = None
21. Airbag1 = Not Deployed; 2 = Deployed, Front; 3 = Deployed, Side; 4 = Deployed, Rear; 5 = Deployed, Multiple
28. Financial Responsibility Type1 = Liability Insurance Policy; 2 = Proof of Liability Insurance; 3 = Insurance Binder; 4 = Surety Bond; 5 and 6 = Certificate of Deposit; 7 = Certificate of Self-Insurance
40. Weather Condition1 = Clear; 2 = Cloudy; 3 = Rain; 4 = Sleet/Hail; 5 = Snow; 6 = Fog; 7 = Blowing Sand/Snow; 8 = Severe Crosswinds
41. Light Condition1 = Daylight; 2 = Dark, Not Lighted; 3 = Dark, Lighted; 4 = Dark, Unknown Lighting; 5 = Dawn; 6 = Dusk
45. Surface Condition1 = Dry; 2 = Wet; 3 = Standing Water; 4 = Snow; 5 = Slush; 6 = Ice; 7 = Sand, Mud, Dirt

Codes 98 ("Other") usually mean the officer explained the entry in the narrative, and 99 means unknown. The injury codes have definitions in the CR-100 manual: for example, B is an "evident injury such as bruises, abrasions, or minor lacerations which do not incapacitate", and C is an "injury claimed, reported, or indicated by behavior but without visible wounds, includes limping or complaint of pain". K is used if death resulted from injuries sustained in the crash "at the scene or within 30 days of the crash".

What do the contributing-factor codes mean?

List 38 on the code sheet, "Factors and Conditions", is used in two parts of the report:

  • Contributing factors. The CR-100 manual says the section is for the officer "to determine which factor(s) or condition(s) contributed to the crash for each unit", and that "the officer may not have enough evidence to file a traffic charge, but does have enough data to render an opinion as to the contributing factors of the crash". The officer lists up to three per unit by priority: factor 1 is the one that "primarily contributed", factor 2 a "secondary contributor" and factor 3 an "additional contributor".
  • May have contributed. This part records "the fact that the condition was present, but the investigator is unable to determine whether the factor/condition contributed". The manual says the same factor should not appear in both parts for a unit.

Some of the codes in list 38, as printed on the code sheet:

CodeFactor
4Changed Lane when Unsafe
15Disregard Stop and Go Signal
16Disregard Stop Sign or Light
19Distraction in Vehicle
20Driver Inattention
22Failed to Control Speed
23Failed to Drive in Single Lane
36Failed to Yield ROW - To Pedestrian
37Failed to Yield ROW - Turning Left
40Fatigued or Asleep
44Followed Too Closely
60Unsafe Speed
61Speeding - (Over Limit)
67Intoxicated - Alcohol
74Cell/Mobile Device Use - Talking
75Cell/Mobile Device Use - Texting
79Drove on improved shoulder

"ROW" means right of way. The manual notes that code 60, Unsafe Speed, "refers to Under Limit", which is how it differs from code 61. Vehicle defects, such as defective brakes or tires, are coded separately in list 39.

A contributing-factor code is the officer's record of what they concluded when they wrote the report. It is not a ruling by a court, and this guide does not say how an insurer or a court will weigh it.

Where is TxDOT's official code sheet?

TxDOT posts the code sheet, the blank CR-3 and the CR-100 manual on its crash records forms page for law enforcement. As of 2026-10-22 the current code sheet is Form CR-3CS, dated 4/1/2023, for reports on the 4/1/2023 form. The same page lists earlier code sheets for reports written on older versions of the form, so match the code sheet to the revision date printed on the report.

What if something on my crash report is wrong?

The process runs through the agency that wrote the report:

  • The law. "A change in or a modification of a written report of a motor vehicle collision prepared by a peace officer that alters a material fact in the report may be made only by the peace officer who prepared the report." Someone else may make a change only by "a written supplement to the report" that "clearly indicates the name of the person who originated the change" (Transp. Code §550.068).
  • How agencies do it. TxDOT's CR-100 manual tells officers that "when it becomes necessary to amend a report that has previously been sent to TxDOT", they "must submit a new report" marked as a supplemental report. Officers also file a supplement when, for example, a person dies within 30 days of the crash.
  • Who to contact. TxDOT is the custodian of crash records, but the report comes from the investigating agency, so a correction request goes to that agency's records unit. As of 2026-10-22, neither TxDOT nor the Houston-area agencies we checked publish a separate correction form. Houston-area records contacts are listed in How to get a crash report in Houston.

When you contact the agency, it can help to have the report's agency case number or TxDOT Crash ID, the date and place of the crash, and a short written description of the entry you believe is wrong. Keep a copy of anything you send.

Related information

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Frequently asked questions

Where can I find the codes for a Texas crash report?
The numbered fields on a CR-3 refer to the numbered lists on TxDOT's two-page code sheet, Form CR-3CS. The current code sheet is dated 4/1/2023 and is posted on TxDOT's crash records forms page, along with older code sheets for reports written on earlier versions of the form.
What does a contributing factor on a crash report mean?
TxDOT's instructions to officers describe the Contributing Factors section as the investigator's opinion of which factors contributed to the crash, listed by priority for each vehicle or person. A separate May Have Contributed section records a factor that was present when the officer could not determine whether it contributed. The report is the officer's record; it is not a decision by a court.
What do the injury codes K, A, B, C and N mean?
On the CR-3, K is a fatal injury, A a suspected serious injury, B a suspected minor injury, C a possible injury and N not injured. TxDOT's instructions say K is used if the person died at the scene or within 30 days of the crash from injuries sustained in it.
Can a Texas crash report be corrected?
Under Transportation Code §550.068, a change that alters a material fact in an officer's crash report may be made only by the officer who prepared it, or by a written supplement that names the person who originated the change. TxDOT's instructions tell officers to submit a supplemental report to amend a report already sent to TxDOT. The request goes to the law enforcement agency that wrote the report.

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