I’m working on a social action project with team members from Empire State College’s Student Leadership Institute. One of our team members, Jawana, lost her husband of more than 20 years to a hit-and-run driver. Since then, Jawana has been working to pass legislation in New York State to increase the penalties for drivers who flee the scene of an incident. One bill has already passed the Senate and we are urging legislators to pass it and for Governor Cuomo to sign it.
Currently, the penalties for a driver leaving the scene of an incident he/she has caused are too lenient. It is actually to the driver’s benefit to leave in an effort to cover up reckless driving or DWI. Some who leave are never caught, leaving a family with no justice and no closure.
There are thousands of cases just like Jawana’s husband’s, where lives have been shattered or families torn apart due to serious injuries and fatalities caused by hit and run drivers. We are fighting for those who suffer in silence. Passage of this legislation is the only way for the law to stop giving drivers who leave the scene of a crash a benefit for leaving.
You can see Jawana’s story and sign the Change.org petition below. If you have questions or a personal story relating to a hit-and-run incident, you can share it at projectsherman2016@gmail.com.
The petition:
Thank you,
Polly Karis
Published: Fri, 06 May 2016 12:28:05 +0000 by p.karis