Rather than having to go to the police department to get an accident report, involved parties can now visit buycrash.com, a site offering electronic crash reports.

The website, powered by Open Portal Solutions, is relatively new and only available to three states - Georgia, Indiana and Kentucky - with two more coming soon - Nebraska and Tennessee.

Although the website is new, city governments in Georgia have already been putting it to use.

While the Covington Police Department already has its own website dedicated to electronic accident reports, other, smaller cities in Newton County have stuck to the traditional method of receiving accident reports.
"Buycrash.com fills in the hole for other small cities that haven't developed a website like ours," Cotton said.

Before this website, people in those smaller cities who needed copies of police reports would have to visit the police department and request the $3 reports on paper, which some people - including the workers - found to be a hassle.

"We don't have to worry about making copies, stuffing them in envelopes or cashing $3 checks," explained Cotton.

With this site, those in need of accident reports can receive them immediately. With the increased convenience comes an elevated price, however, since reports from buycrash.com cost $10. The government offices still receive their $3 cut.

Accident reports from the police departments, public safety offices and even the Newton County Sheriff's Office are now available online.