The Aaron Cohen Life Protection Act

A legislative proposal, known as the Aaron Cohen Life Protection Act seeks to create tougher penalties for drivers who leave the scene of a hit and run bicycle accident. This was the case with Aaron Cohen, where the driver who killed him, was given less than a year in jail for the crime. The grassroots effort is committed to changing the law.

On February 15, 2012, Aaron Cohen was killed while riding on the Rickenbacker Causeway.

According to the Miami Herald: "The Aaron Cohen Act proposes a mandatory minimum sentence of three years for drivers who leave the scene of an accident resulting in injuries. Fleeing drivers who seriously hurt or kill someone would face a mandatory seven or 10 years, respectively. They would also have to complete driver education courses about 'vulnerable road users,' such as cyclists, pedestrians and emergency service workers."

There is a petition for the Aaron Cohen Law here to get the law enacted. 

As a friend says, "It is critical that the State Enacts the law to protect our cyclists and to punish irresponsible drivers."

Interestingly enough, on Thursday, Carlos Bertonatti was sentenced to 12 years in jail plus eight years probation after that. Bertonatti also drove away from a hit and run of a cyclist on Key Biscayne. A lot of it has to do with plea deals and how the victim's family feels about the situation. Their feelings are taken into consideration.