The bill amends the General Laws in Chapter 31-26, increasing penalties for drivers who fail to stop or comply after an accident resulting in injury, serious bodily injury, or death. It raises the maximum imprisonment for accidents causing serious bodily injury from 10 to 15 years and adjusts the mandatory loss of license from a maximum of 2 years to a range of 2 to 10 years. For accidents resulting in death, the maximum imprisonment is increased from 15 to 30 years, with the license revocation period ranging from a minimum of 5 years to the possibility of permanent revocation. The bill also includes insertions that extend protections to pedestrians and bicyclists involved in such accidents.

Furthermore, the bill amends Chapter 31-27, redefining offenses related to "driving so as to endanger," and increases the maximum imprisonment for resulting in death from 10 to 30 years, with similar changes to the license revocation penalties. For DUI offenses resulting in death, the bill sets a minimum prison sentence of five years and a maximum of thirty years, with the possibility of permanent license revocation. For DUI resulting in serious bodily injury, the maximum prison sentence is increased to fifteen years, and the license revocation period is now between two and ten years. The bill removes specific penalties for repeat offenses within a five-year period and is set to take effect immediately upon passage.

Statutes affected:
737: 31-26-1