February is Hit & Run Awareness Month

In 2021, there were more than 108,000 hit-and-run crashes in Florida. Of those, there were more than 24,000 injuries resulting from these hit-and-run crashes, with over 1,200 of those involving serious bodily injury. In addition, there were 306 hit-and-run fatalities, more than 20% being pedestrians. Approximately 1 out of every 4 car crashes is a hit-and-run. In Volusia and Flagler Counties, there were 3,174 hit-and-run crashes; 8 fatalities and 828 injuries*.

Leaving the scene of a crash is a crime. You must stop immediately at the scene of a crash on public or private property which results in property damage, injury, or death. The penalties for hit-and-run drivers changed on July 1, 2014 when the Aaron Cohen Life Protection Act (Section 316.027, Florida) was signed into Florida law. The statute is named after Aaron Cohen, a 31-year-old avid cyclist and father of two that was fatally struck by an alcohol impaired driver that fled the crash scene in February 2012 in south Florida. The hit-and-run driver was sentenced to two years in prison, a lesser sentence than what the motorist would have served had he been sentenced on a DUI manslaughter charge. The Aaron Cohen Life Protection Act imposes a mandatory minimum of four years for a driver convicted of leaving the scene of a crash resulting in a fatality.

If you are involved in a hit-and-run crash there some important things you should do:

Collect as much information as possible about the vehicle: license plate number, car make and model, color, age and the part of the vehicle that hit yours
Call the police: request to file a report and provide as many details as possible
Talk to any witnesses: ask for their name and information
Don't leave the scene of the crash
Call your insurance company

*Data pulled from FLHSMV Crash Dashboard; for more information, visit: FLHSMV Crash Dashboard

Black History Month

Every February, the United States honors the contributions and sacrifices of African Americans who have helped shape the nation by celebrating Black History Month. As we look back throughout the years, we recognize the innovative ideas, achievements, and significant contributions of African Americans who have revolutionized the transportation industry and continue to advance our country as a whole. In honor of Black History Month, we will be highlighting notable African Americans throughout transportation history on our Facebook page and Twitter page as well as below:

Meredith Gourdine was an Olympic Silver medalist and a graduate of Cornell University. After college he became a United States Army officer and later received his doctorate in engineering from California Institute of Technology. He is credited for his development of an exhaust purification system. His invention, designed in 1967, is referred to today as the catalytic converter, which helps to minimize environmental pollution by reducing harmful emissions released into the air. With over 30 patents, Meredith Gourdine was a true pioneer of energy conversion.

Edward Davis was among the first African-Americans to own and operate a car dealership. After more than 30 years of selling automobiles in Detroit, Davis closed the doors to his car dealership business in February 1971. Seven months later, he was appointed by Detroit Mayor Roman Gribbs to serve as general manager of the city’s Department of Street Railways (present-day Detroit DOT). Davis was the first African-American to serve in that role and he remained in the position until 1974. In 1996, he became the first African-American to be inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame.

River to Sea TPO

2022 Annual Call for Projects Reminder

The TPO's 2022 Annual Call for Projects application deadline for submittal of all project funding applications, letters of support and updated cost estimates is 2:00 p.m. EDT on Friday, February 25, 2022. Applications submitted after the deadline will not be accepted. More information is available at: Call for Projects

Upcoming TPO Activities

Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP):

The UPWP describes the planning tasks to be undertaken by the TPO during the next two upcoming fiscal years and, in some cases, tracks the continuation of projects carried over from previous years. The UPWP contains the associated costs and agency involvement required for successfully completing each task.

The TPO is currently developing our next FY 2022/23 and 2023/24 UPWP. The UPWP Subcommittee met in January to begin the process of selecting tasks that the TPO staff will undertake in the upcoming fiscal years. Presentations will be given to the committees and board in February on the upcoming UPWP.

Transportation Safety Targets:

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) issued final rules on the transportation performance measures required for the State Departments of Transportation and Transportation Planning Organizations (M/TPOs). The final rule requires targets to be set for the following five safety performance measures:

Number of Fatalities
Rate of Fatalities
Number of Serious Injuries
Rate of Serious Injuries
Number of Non-Motorized Fatalities and Serious Injuries

The TPO board and committees will be approving updates to these safety performance measures as well as the Transit Safety Targets at their February meetings. Last month's presentation on the Transportation Safety Targets is available at: Transportation Safety Targets and the presentation on Transit Safety Targets is available at: Transit Safety Targets

Additional information on agendas for TPO committee and board meetings is available at: River to Sea TPO

Additional information on TPO outreach and activities is available at: Outreach & Activities

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