TALLAHASSEE – The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles and its division of the Florida Highway Patrol recognized February as Hit and Run Awareness Month and continues to remind all motorists to stay at the scene when involved in a crash.
In partnership with the Florida Police Chiefs Association, Florida Sheriffs Association and Florida Association of Crime Stoppers, the 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.
“All motorists involved in a crash have the responsibility to stay at the scene,” said DHSMV Executive Director Terry L. Rhodes. “Leaving the scene of a crash may be deadly for those who are hit and ensures that the driver will face more severe penalties. Individuals with information on hit and run crashes are encouraged to report any tips anonymously to Crime Stoppers.”
Since 2014, in a quarter of all crashes every year, a driver leaves the scene. In 2017, there were 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. 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.
“It is your responsibility to remain at the scene and immediately report the crash to law enforcement,” said Florida Highway Patrol Director, Colonel Gene S. Spaulding. “You should do your best to provide immediate assistance to other motorists, passengers or pedestrians that may have been injured in the crash and wait for emergency first responders to arrive.”
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. During that same period, 95 percent of all hit and run charges were in-state drivers and 70 percent of all hit and run charges were issued to men.
“Across the state of Florida, hit and run crashes are rising at an alarming rate,” says Chief Kevin Lystad, FPCA President. We must reverse this trend and we ask our driving population to think and act responsibly. Report all accidents immediately to law enforcement and remain on the scene to provide assistance to those injured. While not only required by law, it is also the right thing to do. The consequences of leaving the scene of a crash are far greater than remaining both legally and morally. Do the right thing: Stop, report, and wait for first responders.”
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, visit: http://www.flhsmv.gov/stayatthescene.
