Space Coast Transportation Planning Organization Reminds Motorists To Stay at Scene of Vehicle Crash
By Space Coast Daily // February 4, 2018
177 hit-and-run fatalities in Florida in 2017
ABOVE VIDEO: In support of the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles and its division of the Florida Highway Patrol, the Space Coast Transportation Planning Organization recognizes February as Hit and Run Awareness Month.
BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA – In support of the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles and its division of the Florida Highway Patrol, the Space Coast Transportation Planning Organization recognizes February as Hit and Run Awareness Month.
We are reminding all motorists to “Stay at the Scene,” when involved in a crash.
This initiative seeks to reduce the number of hit and run crashes in Florida and encourage individuals to anonymously report information to solve hit and run investigations.
In 2017, there was 98,225 hit and run crashes in Florida with 177 fatalities. Under Florida law, a driver must stop immediately at the scene of a crash on public or private property that results in injury or death.
HIT AND RUN PENALTIES
| Leaving the scene of the crash with: | |
| PROPERTY DAMAGE | Second Degree Misdemeanor |
| Up to 60 days in prison and $500 fine | |
| INJURIES | Second or third degree felony |
| Revoked license for at least 3 years | |
| Up to five years in prison and $5,000 fine | |
| FATALITIES | First degree felony |
| Revoked license for at least three years | |
| Mandatory minimum of 4 years in prison, up to 30 years in prison and a $10,000 fine | |
Leaving the scene of a crash is a felony and a driver, when convicted, will have their license revoked for at least three years and can be sentenced to a mandatory minimum of four years in prison.
Vulnerable road users, like bicyclists and pedestrians, are particularly at risk in hit and run crashes. In fact, of the 177 hit and run fatalities in 2017, more than 100 cases involved pedestrians and bicycles.
The most important thing a driver can do when they are involved in a crash is to Stay at the Scene and call for help.
The public is encouraged to report hit and run crashes by dialing *FHP (*347). For more information on hit and runs and staying at the scene.
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