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# Golden And Other Local Pols Sponsor Legislation To Punish Hit And Run Drivers
- URL: https://bklyner.com/golden-and-other-local-pols-sponsor-legislation-to-punish-hit-and-run-drivers-bensonhurst/
- Published: 2013-01-21T19:00:17.000Z
- Updated: 2013-01-21T19:00:17.000Z
- Author: Erica Sherman
- Tags: #API-Imported

![](http://www.sheepsheadbites.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/marty-golden2.jpg)

State Senator Marty Golden. Photo by Erica Sherman

[Last year](http://www.sheepsheadbites.com/2012/05/sheepshead-residents-death-spurs-golden-to-urge-assembly-to-increase-penalties-for-hit-run-drivers/?ref=bklyner.com), State Senator Marty Golden introduced a bill that would stiffen penalties for hit and run and drivers. The bill passed in the Senate but failed to gain traction in the [Assembly](http://open.nysenate.gov/legislation/bill/S2918-2011?ref=bklyner.com). Golden and a group of other local politicians have not given up and have reintroduced the bill, according to a press release.

The bill would change the crime of a fatal hit and run from a Class D felony to a Class C felony, which ups the prison time to a maximum of 15 years. It also would eliminate a loophole, which allowed drunk drivers to escape the penalties they deserve:

> Drivers under the influence of drugs or alcohol can actually receive less of a punishment if they flee the scene of an accident. For example, in the case of a first-time offender, a driver who wrongfully flees the scene of an accident where a personal injury has occurred can only be charged with a Class A Misdemeanor which carries a maximum penalty of only 1 year in jail. However, if the driver remains at the scene and is found to be intoxicated or impaired by drugs, he or she can be immediately charged with a Class E felony which carries a maximum penalty of four years of imprisonment. Therefore, the incentive for a drunk or impaired driver to flee the scene of a hit and run accident is greater.

Golden expressed hope that the legislation would improve safety on the roads and save lives:

> I thank my colleagues for their support of this legislation which has the potential to decrease the number of incidents where motorists just keep going after hitting a pedestrian. In my district and throughout the State, families have been destroyed by such a disregard for human life. I believe that there are instances where, if the driver stopped at the scene and called for help, the victim may have had a chance to survive. This legislation will make our roads safer and save lives, and this year, this bill should become law.