Florida Hit-and-Run Accidents Jump in 2014
One out of four crashes in Florida now involves a hit-and-run driver, according to statistics recently released by the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (DHSMV).
Florida hit-and-run crashes increased by seven percent from 2013 to 2014, reaching a new high of more than 80,000 accidents. The three South Florida counties of Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach collectively represent 40 percent of the statewide totals, according to the department.
The severity of hit-and-run accidents also appears to be increasing, with a 23 percent increase in hit-and-run fatalities in 2014 over 2013. Pedestrians are particularly at risk. Almost 50 percent of the 2014 hit-and-run fatalities were pedestrians, representing a jump of 17 percent over 2013.
An infographic published as DHSMV as part of Florida’s driver education campaign, “Hit & Run: Bad2Worse,” appears below.
It is a first-degree felony to leave the scene of an accident when a fatality is involved, and a felony of the third degree when an accident results in an injury, according to law enforcement personnel. Leaving the scene of an accident involving property damage is a second-degree misdemeanor.
The Aaron Cohen Life Protection Act, which became law in Florida last year, imposes a mandatory minimum prison sentence of four years for a driver convicted of leaving the scene of a crash resulting in the death of a person.
Click on the link for more information on Florida hit-and-run accidents from the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles.