When driving a car in Florida, it is recommended that you always keep your eyes and attention trained on the road to avoid possible instances of accidents. When driving, pedestrians and other road users are to be given top priority to avoid causing an accident or being involved in one.

Taking into consideration that accidents are most often than not unplanned for, there is the need to know some of the consequences of actions which drivers take on the road.

When a driver hits a pedestrian, there are several penalties which may be awarded depending on the complications of the case. The penalties may include fines, criminal charges, loss of driving license and more. In order to become more informed about the consequences of road accidents involving pedestrians, read more at https://floridaticketfirm.com/traffic-ticket-attorney/careless-driving-traffic-ticket/.

Below are some of the consequences of hitting a pedestrian when behind the wheels.

Fines

Drivers who hit pedestrians are most likely to be issued fines. In the instance when a fine is decided upon by the court, the driver may be asked to pay a certain amount of money which may be up to or more than $1,000 depending on the facts of the case. It is however important to note that some complications such as lack of knowledge of the proper traffic laws, infliction of fatal injuries and more can earn you more fines while hitting a pedestrian while they are jaywalking may earn you lesser fines or in some cases, drivers may not be liable to payment of any fines.

Criminal Charges

In some cases, drivers who hit pedestrians may be charged with criminal offence charges. Criminal charges may stem from fatal injuries inflicted on the pedestrian or in some complicated instances when the pedestrian dies from the hit. In the event the pedestrian dies from the accident, the driver may be faced with manslaughter charges which can lead to sentencing to jail for a significant amount of time. In some other cases, the driver may also be faced with misdemeanor charges for hit and run. It is important however to note that these criminal charges, once convicted for are capable of harming the driver’s chances at getting jobs, loans and other public benefits.

License Suspension or Revocation

Another consequence which you may be faced with as a stand alone punishment or as part of other penalties is the suspension of your driving license. The amount of time for which your license is revoked or suspended however depends on the conditions of the accident, facts of the case and prior records. In some cases, you may likely face a year suspension for first time offenders while in other cases, you may not legally be allowed to drive a vehicle again.

When your license is suspended, it is important to note that reinstating it can be a tough process while in the case of license revocation, you will be unable to use the license further thus making it invalid.

Exceptions

There are some possible exceptions when facing a case such as hitting a pedestrian. The exceptions may however be granted in the instance where the pedestrian was on drugs or intoxicated or in some cases, the pedestrian shows lack of regard for safety and other road laws such as crossing of the road illegally.