TRENTON – Legislation sponsored by Senator John A. Girgenti, to require that car owners be held responsible when the driver, at the time of an accident, fails or refuses to report his involvement, was approved by the full Senate today.
“Drivers must report any car accident resulting in a death, injury or damage of at least $500, whether they are the owner of the vehicle or not,” said Senator Girgenti, D-Bergen and Passaic. “There is an unfortunate loophole in the law where owners are not required to report an accident, or disclose the identity of the responsible driver. By not sharing information with the authorities many ‘hit and run’ drivers evade punishment for their crimes.”