What's happening
This bill increases the penalties for leaving the scene of an accident resulting in personal injury, including higher fines and upgraded criminal classifications.
Why it matters
Significantly tougher penalties may deter more drivers from fleeing accident scenes. , as higher fines and upgraded criminal charges (misdemeanors to felonies) create greater legal and financial risks for offenders.
The bill closes loopholes by removing distinctions for repeat offenses and standardizing higher penalties. , ensuring that even first-time violators face stronger consequences and making prosecution more straightforward.
Victims of hit-and-run accidents could see greater justice and possibly improved cooperation from drivers. (who might otherwise flee), as the law increases the stakes for not stopping and providing required information.
Classifying hits resulting in ‘serious physical injury’ as a class C felony and deaths as a class D felony signals a shift toward treating these incidents with the gravity of violent crimes. , potentially influencing both legal outcomes and public awareness of hit-and-run dangers.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Increase Hit-and-Run Penalties
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
1 Co-sponsor
History
- Referred to transportation
- Referred to transportation
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
51
2017-2018 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY (Prefiled)
January 4, 2017
Introduced by M. of A. GANTT -- read once and referred to the Committee on Transportation
AN ACT to amend the vehicle and traffic law, in relation to the penalty for leaving the scene of an incident resulting in a personal injury
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Paragraph c of subdivision 2 of section 600 of the vehicle and traffic law, as amended by chapter 49 of the laws of 2005, is amended to read as follows:
c. [A] Any violation of the provisions of paragraph a of this subdivision resulting solely from the failure of an operator to exhibit his or her license and insurance identification card for the vehicle or exchange the information required in such paragraph shall constitute a class [B] A misdemeanor punishable by a fine of not less than [two] five hundred [fifty] nor more than [five hundred] one thousand dollars in addition to any other penalties provided by law. [Any subsequent such violation shall constitute a class A misdemeanor punishable by a fine of not less than five hundred nor more than one thousand dollars in addition to any other penalties provided by law.] Any violation of the provisions of paragraph a of this subdivision, other than for the mere failure of an operator to exhibit his or her license and insurance identification card for such vehicle or exchange the information required in such paragraph, shall constitute a class A misdemeanor, punishable by a fine of not less than five hundred dollars nor more than one thousand dollars in addition to any other penalties provided by law. Any such violation committed by a person after such person has previously been convicted of such a violation shall constitute a class E felony, punishable by a fine of not less than one thousand nor more than two thousand five hundred dollars in addition to any other penalties provided by law. Any violation of the provisions of paragraph a of this subdivision,
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD01900-01-7
A. 51 2
other than for the mere failure of an operator to exhibit his or her license and insurance identification card for such vehicle or exchange the information required in such paragraph, where the personal injury involved (i) results in serious physical injury, as defined in section 10.00 of the penal law, shall constitute a class [E] C felony, punishable by a fine of not less than one thousand nor more than five thousand dollars in addition to any other penalties provided by law, or (ii) results in death shall constitute a class D felony punishable by a fine of not less than two thousand nor more than five thousand dollars in addition to any other penalties provided by law.
§ 2. This act shall take effect on the first of November next succeeding the date on which it shall have become a law.
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
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