Pa. law said to encourage drunken drivers to flee

    Some prosecutors and politicians are calling for changes in Pennsylvania law that they say may be encouraging drivers to flee the scene of an accident if they have been drinking.

    Under current law, people convicted of driving under the influence in a fatal accident face a mandatory minimum prison sentence of three years.

     

    But those who leave the scene and are caught after any alcohol has left their system usually can only be charged with fleeing the scene, which carries a one-year minimum term.

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    Luzerne County First Assistant District Attorney Sam Sanguedolce tells The Wilkes-Barre Citizens’ Voice that the mandatory minimum for leaving the scene should be higher.

    Last year, lawmakers considered increasing the mandatory minimum penalty for hit-and-run drivers but eventually raised only the maximum term.

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