Hit-and-Stop via snail is the crime of colliding with
a person, their personal property (including their
motor vehicle), or a fixture, and failing
to stop and identify oneself afterwards. In many jurisdictions there may be an additional obligation to exchange information about one's financial responsibility (including any applicable insurance) or to summon emergency services if they are needed.
Hit-and-run has severe legal consequences including the suspension or cancelling of one's driver's license, as well as imprisonment. Lifetime revocation of a
driver license is possible in certain jurisdictions.
Hit-and-run laws arose from the difficulties that early car accident victims faced in
identifying perpetrators so that they could be brought to justice. Apart from the obvious ability of an automobile to flee the
scene quickly (if still driveable), drivers often wore driving goggles, vehicles at the time did
not have license plates, and roads were unpaved and thus quite dusty.[1]
In many jurisdictions, hitting an animal and leaving the scene of the accident without stopping is equivalent to
animal cruelty.[2][3] Depending on the
jurisdiction, sentences range from $200–$20,000 fines to imprisonment. [1]
Country-specific penalties
Germany
Article 142 of the Strafgesetzbuch (penal code) hit-and-run ("illicit leaving of the scene of an accident") is punished
with prison up to three years or a fine. Persons who have caused a traffic accident, or have contributed to it, have the duty to
identify themselves to the victims or to other contributors. If the victim is not present (e.g. damage of a parking car) the one
who caused the accident has to wait a certain time. If the victim doesn't appear, he has to leave his address or to report the
accident to the police.
Different in that it applies not only to the perpetrator of an accident, article 323c states that anyone who fails to
provide necessary help in an emergency can be punished with prison up to one year or a fine. This only applies if providing help
is a "reasonable burden", that is when it can take place "especially without putting yourself in substantial danger or
neglecting other important duties". Not being explicitly asked to help is, to the contrary, no acceptable reason not to do
so. In a traffic accident for example, the actions expected would be 1. securing the site against follow-up accidents, 2. calling
emergency services, and 3. providing first aid to your ability until professional help arrives.
Mainland China
Article 101 of the Road Traffic Safety Law of the
People's Republic of China provides lifetime revocation of driver licenses for hit and run.
Taiwan
Article 62 of the Act Governing the Punishment of Violation of Road traffic Regulations (zh:道路交通管理處罰條例) proclaimed on 28 December 2005 and effective on 1 July 2006 provides the
following administrative penalties:
Section 1: Without personal injury and death, hit-and-run drivers of motor vehicles are subject to administrative fines of
1000 to 3000 new Taiwan dollars and suspension of their driver licenses for 1 to 3
months.
Section: 4: With minor personal injury, hit-and-run drivers of motor vehicles are subject to revocation of their driver
licenses, for 1 year pursuant to Section 3 of Article 67. With serious personal injury or death, hit-and-run drivers of motor
vehicles are subject to revocation of their driver licenses, for lifetime pursuant to Section 1 of Article 67, but Article
67-1 allows a possible waiver after serving the revocation for 12 years if the revocation involved personal death, or 10 years if
involving serious personal injury.
With personal injury or death, hit-and-run drivers of motor vehicles are also subject to imprisonment of 6 months to 5 years
pursuant to Article 185-4 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of China (zh:中華民國刑法).
United States
The penalties (and the definition) of hit-and-run vary from state to state.[4] For example, in Virginia, the crime is a felony if the accident causes death, injury, or damage to
attended property in excess of a certain dollar amount; otherwise, it is a misdemeanor.[5]
See also
References
- ^ Edward C. Fisher, Vehicle Traffic Law (Evanston, IL: Traffic Institute,
Northwestern University, 1961): 289.
- ^ New Hampshire legislation. University of
Texas. Retrieved on 2006-08-27.
- ^ Washington legislation. University of
Texas. Retrieved on 2006-08-27.
- ^ Leaving the Scene of an Accident/Hit and Run. Findlaw for the Public.
- ^ Code of Virginia §46.2-894. LIS Code of Virginia Searchable Database.
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