Gov. Scott Signs "Aaron Cohen Act"
TALLAHASSEE (CBSMiami) - In an effort to make the state's roads safer, Gov. Rick Scott has signed into law a bill that increases penalties for drivers who leave the scene of an accident involving injuries.
The bill, sponsored by Sen. Miguel Diaz de la Portilla, was named after Aaron Cohen, a 36-year-old bicyclist who was killed in a 2012 hit-and-run accident on the Rickenbacker Causeway.
"The entire Cohen family and I are extremely thankful that Governor Scott will be signing the Aaron Cohen Life Protection Act into law. We are hopeful that out of our family's tragedy, we have made a big step towards safer roads and a safer community for our children. While nothing will bring Aaron back, it gives us comfort to know that the change we have made may prevent other families from suffering as ours did," said Cohen's widow Patty in a statement.
The new law imposes a mandatory minimum term for imprisonment of four years for a driver convicted of leaving the scene of a crash resulting in the death of a person. It also increases the mandatory minimum term of imprisonment from two to four years for a driver convicted of leaving the scene of a crash resulting in the death of a person while driving under the influence and imposing a minimum driver license revocation period of at least three years.
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