Vehicles: leaving the scene of an accident.

Assembly Member DeMaio's proposal to modify California's hit-and-run penalties would establish a mandatory 15-year state prison sentence for drivers who flee accident scenes involving death or permanent, serious injury. Under current law, these violations carry prison terms of 2 to 4 years or county jail terms of 90 days to one year, along with fines between $1,000 and $10,000.

The legislation maintains existing requirements for drivers to stop and provide information after accidents causing injury or death. However, it creates a new fixed penalty structure specifically for cases with the most severe outcomes. The bill defines "permanent, serious injury" as the loss or permanent impairment of function of a bodily member or organ. The mandatory 15-year sentence would apply only to hit-and-run incidents meeting this threshold or resulting in death.

The measure preserves current penalties for other hit-and-run violations, including the additional consecutive 5-year prison term for fleeing after committing vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated. Courts retain discretion to reduce minimum fines based on defendants' ability to pay in cases not involving death or permanent, serious injury. The changes would take effect immediately upon enactment and apply to all qualifying incidents thereafter.