FHP: Higher penalties for fleeing crash scenes

The Florida Highway Patrol reports to Historic City News that Florida has experienced an alarming increase in the number of fatal hit-and-run crashes during the last two years; so, they are asking our readers who are involved in a crash, to do the right thing and stop.

The Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles says that other drivers, fleeing the scene of an accident, will face tougher penalties.

“There were more than 80,000 hit and run crashes in Florida last year, a seven percent increase from 2013. Leaving the scene makes the situation worse, not only for those who flee, but even more so for the victims left behind,” said DHSMV Executive Director Terry L. Rhodes. “It is crucial that all individuals involved in a crash, including witnesses to a crash, contact 911 and remain at the scene until help arrives. Every life matters and every second counts.”

What does Florida law say?

As of July 2014, the Aaron Cohen Life Protection Act was signed into law by Governor Rick Scott. The law enhances the penalties for leaving the scene of a crash.

The Act:

• Punishes leaving the scene of a crash resulting in serious bodily injury to a person as a second degree felony, rather than a third degree felony.
• Imposes a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of four years for a driver convicted of leaving the scene of a crash resulting in the death of a person.
• Increases the mandatory minimum term of imprisonment from two to four years for a driver convicted of leaving the scene of a crash resulting in the death of a person while driving under the influence.
• Imposes a minimum driver license revocation period of at least three years, and driver education requirements for leaving the scene of a crash.
• Ranks offenses for leaving the scene of a crash one level higher than specified in the Criminal Punishment Code if the victim of the offense was a “vulnerable road user” (such as a pedestrian, a bicyclist or a motorcyclist).

So, what do you do after a crash:

• CALL law enforcement.
• REMAIN calm.
• ATTAIN vehicle, witness and driver information.
• SKETCH the scene, showing vehicle crash locations.
• HELP the injured.

A few hit and run facts for Florida:

• Hit and run crashes involving fatalities increased 23 percent from 2013 to 2014.
• Forty-six counties saw an increase in hit and runs from 2013 to 2014.
• The number of hit and run crashes statewide has increased seven percent from 2013 to 2014.
• Nearly half of the hit and run fatalities in 2014 were pedestrians, a 17 percent increase from 2013.
• Twenty-five percent of all crashes are hit and run crashes.