For pedestrians in Florida, looking both ways before crossing the street is sometimes just not enough.
Sen. Joe Gruters, R-Sarasota, filed a Senate bill at the beginning of the legislative session to make identifying drivers responsible for hit-and-run accidents easier for law enforcement. Gruters cited the bill as the Lilly Glaubach Act, which pays homage to the 13-year-old girl who was struck and killed by a hit-and-run driver in Gruters’ district in 2022.
In Gainesville, the stories of Margaret Paxton and Sophia Lambert still echo throughout the University of Florida community.
Paxton and Lambert, who were both UF students at the time of their deaths, were killed in separate pedestrian crashes on University Avenue in December 2020 and January 2021, respectively. The driver who killed Paxton was charged with a hit-and-run and is currently serving a six-year prison sentence.
According to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, there were 692 fatalities from pedestrian crashes and 245 fatalities from hit-and-run crashes throughout the state in 2024.
Gainesville-based personal injury attorney Steven A. Bagen doesn’t see the necessity in the additional reporting mechanism.
“I would be tremendously concerned with the invasiveness of yet another database that invades everyone’s privacy,” Bagen said. "The number of times the database would work is microscopic, and I don't believe it would be worth it in terms of its invasiveness and cost."
A mechanism already exists that allows law enforcement to communicate with repair shops regarding specific suspects or vehicles, he said.
The House version of the bill was filed prior to the Senate version. Rep. Yvonne Hinson, D-Gainesville, supports the bill if it would mean fewer people fall victim to hit-and-run crashes.
“It appears to provide more accountability, transparency and enables law enforcement to be more effective,” Hinson said. “My concern will be for auto repair shops that won't be able to evolve with the new requirements.”
The Senate version of the bill has passed through two committees, it now sits in its third committee with days left in the current legislative session.
The bill is a welcome development for UF senior Joshua Perper. In 2023, Perper was behind the wheel when he was involved in a head-on collision with another vehicle. He said he was stopped at a red light when the other vehicle hit him while going about 40 mph.
After the crash, law enforcement arrived on the scene and facilitated the exchange of documents between the drivers once first responders moved the vehicles to the side of the road. Perper said he was grateful to law enforcement for the assistance.
Perper, who later sued the driver who hit him, said he was glad that he was not waiting months on end for crucial information that would have hindered his ability to seek recourse.
Perper said he supports the bill and wants the Legislature to take additional measures to improve safety for all people.
“Florida should have stronger legislation to protect hit-and-run victims, pedestrians and anyone who could be hurt by a motor vehicle,” said Perper. “We need to do what we can to make sure that deadly crashes already at this rate are not exponentially increasing.”