Driving Safety

Hit-and-Run Awareness

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 four 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 5 years in prison and $5,000 fine
FATALITIES	First degree felony
	Revoked license for at least 3 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, you can report it by calling *FHP (*347) or report it anonymously to Florida Crime Stoppers by calling **TIPS (**8477) or through the Florida Crime Stoppers smartphone phone app, available free in the Apple and Google Play stores.