Driving Safety

STAY AT THE SCENE

From year to year, Florida has seen the amount of hit and run crashes remain steady, with nearly 25 percent of all crashes involving a hit and run. Although the majority of hit and run crashes only result in property damage, hit and run crashes can be deadly. The Stay at the Scene campaign aims to reduce the number of hit and run crashes in Florida by educating drivers on their responsibilities if involved in a crash and the serious consequences they face if they choose not to Stay at the Scene.

The penalties for hit and run drivers changed on July 1, 2014 when the Aaron Cohen Life Protection Act (section 316.027, Florida Statutes) was signed into Florida law. The statute is named after Aaron Cohen, a 31-year-old avid cyclist and father of two that was fatally struck by an alcohol impaired driver that fled the crash scene in February 2012 in central Florida. The hit and run driver was sentenced to two years in prison, a lesser sentence than what the motorist would have served had he been sentenced on a DUI manslaughter charge. The Aaron Cohen Life Protection Act imposes a mandatory minimum of 4 years for a driver convicted of leaving the scene of a crash resulting in a fatality.

Hit and Run Penalties

For more information, see Florida Statutes 316.061, 316.027.
Leaving the scene of the crash with:
PROPERTY DAMAGE	Second Degree Misdemeanor
PROPERTY DAMAGE	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

If you are involved in a crash, stay at the scene and call for help. It’s not just the law – you could save a life.

If you have information on a hit and run crash vehicle and/or driver, you can report it anonymously to Crime Stoppers. Click on the button below to see the active hit and run cases that FHP is investigating.

Hit and Run Press Conferences

Location	Date	Time	Location
Troop A – Pensacola	02/21/2019	10:00 a.m.	Pensacola Troop Station 150 W. Stumpfield Rd. Pensacola, FL 32503 Map to Location
Troop B – Gainesville	02/8/2019	10:00 a.m.	Gainesville Troop Station 6300 NW 13th St. Gainesville, FL 32653 Map to Location
Troop C – Tampa	02/25/2019	10:00 a.m.	Troop C Headquarters 11305 N. McKinley Dr. Tampa, FL 33612 Map to Location
Troop D – Orlando	02/05/2019	10:30 a.m.	Troop D Headquarters 133 S. Semoran Blvd. Suite A Orlando, FL 32807 Map to Location
Troop E – Miami	02/19/2019	10:00 a.m.	Troop E Headquarters 1011 NW 111th Ave. Miami, FL 33172 Map to Location
Troop F – Ft. Myers	02/12/2019	10:00 a.m.	Fort Myers Troop Station 10041 Daniels Parkway, Fort Myers, FL 33913 Map to Location
Troop G – Jacksonville	02/20/2019	10:00 a.m.	Troop G Headquarters 7322 Normandy Blvd. Jacksonville, FL 32205-6261 Map to Location
Troop H – Tallahassee	02/21/2019	10:00 a.m.	Troop H Headquarters 2100 Mahan Dr. Tallahassee, FL 32308 Map to Location
Troop L – Lake Worth	02/26/2019	10:30 a.m.	Troop L Headquarters FHP Building 9330 Lake Worth Service Plaza Mile Post 94 Florida Turnpike Lake Worth, FL 33467 Map to Location