Nearly a quarter of all traffic accidents in Florida involve hit-and-run incidents. Over the past three months, the Florida Highway Patrol has repeatedly requested that local news outlets share photos of these crashes in the Tampa Bay Area where individuals were injured or killed. Critics argue that current laws aren’t stringent enough to deter people from fleeing the scene.

The most recent legislation addressing hit-and-run crashes was enacted in 2014. Named after Aaron Cohen, a man who tragically lost his life to a hit-and-run, the Aaron Cohen Life Protection Act was signed into law with the support of Cohen’s widow and cycling advocates. The road safety act increased the mandatory minimum prison sentence from two to four years for drivers convicted of leaving the scene of a fatal crash, aligning it with the mandatory minimum for DUI manslaughter.

According to state data, hit-and-run incidents have continued to rise annually since 2017, except for a dip in 2020 when social distancing measures kept more people at home. Since 2015, Florida has seen over one million hit-and-run crashes, resulting in 2,419 fatalities. Approximately 84% of these incidents occurred at dawn, dusk, or nighttime, with the majority happening between 6 and 9 p.m., around rush hour and just after dark.

In recent months and years, local news organizations have spoken with numerous victims and their families, all of whom hope for more stringent laws. Last year, a proposed bill would have required body shops to obtain a written crash report from the car owner before preparing a written estimate. Unfortunately, this bill died in committee.

Senator Joe Gruters, who sponsored the previous bill, has introduced a new bill this session with slightly revised wording. The proposed legislation now mandates that motor vehicle repair shops request a written crash report from customers under specific circumstances.

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(Image credit: WTSP)