New York, NY – City Council Passes New Law That Gives Hefty Fines To Hit-and-run Drivers

New York, NY – City Council passed a new legislation Tuesday that will give hit-and-run drivers fines of up to $10,000.

Fines will start at $500 for a minor crash resulting in property damage only, and can go up to $10,000 for drivers who leave the scene of an accident that results in serious injury or death reports NY Daily News (http://bit.ly/1ruxeqi). Legislation passed 49 to zero.

Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer (D-Queens) introduced the bill as part of the city’s “Vision Zero” initiative. It is expected that Mayor de Blasio will sign the bill.

Currently, it is already illegal for a driver to leave an accident, but many incidents aren’t prosecuted, and the offense is a misdemeanor the majority of the time.

If someone is injured in a crash, fines range from $1,000 to $2,000. Serious injuries can be fined between $2,000 and $10,000. Fatalities would incur $5,000 to $10,000 in fines.

Information taken from NY Daily News