New York
New York Hit and Run Laws: VTL 600 Penalties and Your Legal Duties
New York Vehicle and Traffic Law Section 600 requires drivers to stop and exchange information after any accident. Penalties range from a traffic infraction for property damage to a Class D felony carrying up to 7 years in prison when a collision causes death.
Hurt in a hit-and-run? If the driver who hit you fled or had no insurance, your own uninsured/underinsured-motorist (UM/UIM) coverage may pay your injury claim. Estimate what it could be worth with our free New York Car Accident Settlement Calculator.
Quick Summary: New York Hit and Run Penalties
Under VTL Section 600, New York drivers who leave the scene of an accident face criminal penalties that escalate based on the severity of harm:
- Property damage only: Traffic infraction, up to 15 days in jail, up to $250 fine
- Failure to show license/insurance or exchange info (personal injury): Class B misdemeanor, up to 90 days jail, $250 to $500 fine; a repeat violation is a Class A misdemeanor with a $500 to $1,000 fine
- Personal injury (first offense): Class A misdemeanor, up to 1 year in jail, $750 to $1,000 fine
- Personal injury (second offense): Class E felony, up to 4 years prison, $1,000 to $3,000 fine
- Serious physical injury: Class E felony, up to 4 years prison, $1,000 to $5,000 fine
- Death: Class D felony, up to 7 years prison, $2,000 to $5,000 fine
- Report requirement: Accidents with property damage over $1,000, injury, or death must be reported within 10 days
- License points: 3 demerit points for leaving the scene
- Fault state: New York is a no-fault insurance state
Your Legal Obligations at the Scene of an Accident
Under VTL 600, if you know or have reason to know that you have caused damage to a person or property, you must immediately stop and fulfill the following requirements:
- Exhibit identification: Show your driver's license and insurance identification card to the other driver, property owner, or injured person
- Provide information: Give your name, license number, residence address (including street name and number), and insurance information
- Show proof of insurance: Present your insurance card upon request
- Remain at scene: Stay until you have fulfilled all required duties
Hitting an Unattended Vehicle
If you hit an unattended vehicle or property and the owner is not present, you must report the incident to the nearest police station or judicial officer as soon as you are physically able to do so. You cannot simply leave a note. Police notification is required.
If the Victim Cannot Receive Information
If the injured person is unable to receive your information, you must provide it to a peace officer present at the scene.
Does Fault Matter?
In New York, fault does not determine whether you have committed a hit and run. You commit the offense the moment you leave the scene without fulfilling your legal obligations, regardless of who caused the accident. However, leaving the scene may be viewed as evidence of guilt in both criminal and civil proceedings.
Property Damage Hit and Run
Traffic Infraction (Basic Violation)
Leaving the scene of an accident involving only property damage is a traffic infraction under VTL 600(1)(a). Penalties include:
- Maximum 15 days in jail
- Fine up to $250
- 3 demerit points on your license
No Misdemeanor or Felony Tier for Property Damage Alone
VTL 600(1) sets only the traffic infraction penalty for an incident that causes property damage and no injury, and it has no repeat-offense escalation. The Class B misdemeanor, Class A misdemeanor, and felony tiers are written into VTL 600(2)(c) and apply only when the incident involves personal injury (see below).
Reportable Accidents in New York
You must call the police if the accident involves:
- Property damage exceeding $1,000
- Death or injury to any person
You have 10 days to file a written report with the New York Department of Motor Vehicles. The DMV accident report form (MV-104) is available online.
Failing to file the required DMV report, or failing to give the required information correctly, is a misdemeanor under VTL 605. The DMV may also suspend or revoke your license or vehicle registrations for failing to report.
Felony Hit and Run in New York
Personal Injury: Failure to Show Documents or Exchange Information
If a violation involving personal injury results solely from failing to show your license and insurance card or exchange the required information, it is a Class B misdemeanor under VTL 600(2)(c):
- Up to 90 days in jail
- Fine between $250 and $500
A subsequent such violation is a Class A misdemeanor with a fine of $500 to $1,000.
Personal Injury (First Offense): Class A Misdemeanor
Leaving the scene of an accident involving personal injury, or any other violation beyond the mere failure to show documents or exchange information, is a Class A misdemeanor under VTL 600(2)(c):
- Up to 1 year in jail
- Fine between $750 and $1,000
Personal Injury (Second Offense): Class E Felony
A second conviction for leaving the scene of an injury accident becomes a Class E felony:
- Up to 4 years in prison
- Fine between $1,000 and $3,000
Serious Physical Injury: Class E Felony
Leaving the scene of an accident involving "serious physical injury" is a Class E felony. Serious physical injury means any injury that:
- Creates a substantial risk of death
- Causes permanent disfigurement
- Results in long-term health impairment
This felony tier applies to violations other than the mere failure to show your license and insurance card or exchange information. Penalties: Up to 4 years in prison and a fine between $1,000 and $5,000.
Death: Class D Felony
Leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death is a Class D felony under VTL 600(2)(c).
Penalties: Up to 7 years in prison and a fine between $2,000 and $5,000.
What Prosecutors Must Prove
For both misdemeanor and felony hit and run charges, prosecutors must establish:
- Physical contact occurred between your vehicle and another vehicle, person, or property
- You knew or should have known of your involvement in the accident
- You left the scene without fulfilling your statutory obligations
Vehicular Manslaughter in the Second Degree
New York Penal Code Section 125.12 defines vehicular manslaughter as causing death while intoxicated or impaired. Vehicular manslaughter in the second degree is a Class D felony, punishable by up to 7 years in prison.
Pending Legislation: Nick's Law
A proposed bill (S3639, introduced in the 2025-2026 session) known as "Nick's Law" would increase penalties for fatal hit and run from a Class D felony to a Class B felony with a fine of $30,000. If enacted, this would significantly increase the maximum prison sentence for leaving the scene of a fatal accident. The bill has not yet been passed as of March 2026.
New York Hit and Run Penalties Summary
- Property damage (basic): Traffic infraction, up to 15 days jail, $250 fine, 3 points
- Failure to show license/insurance or exchange info (personal injury): Class B misdemeanor, up to 90 days jail, $250 to $500 fine (repeat: Class A misdemeanor, $500 to $1,000 fine)
- Personal injury (first offense): Class A misdemeanor, up to 1 year jail, $750 to $1,000 fine
- Personal injury (second offense): Class E felony, up to 4 years prison, $1,000 to $3,000 fine
- Failure to file DMV accident report: Misdemeanor under VTL 605, plus possible license or registration suspension
- Serious physical injury: Class E felony, up to 4 years prison, $1,000 to $5,000 fine
- Death: Class D felony, up to 7 years prison, $2,000 to $5,000 fine
- Vehicular manslaughter: Class D felony, up to 7 years prison
A single incident can result in multiple charges.
New York Crash Statistics
New York City has made significant progress in reducing traffic fatalities:
- 2025 NYC trend: All-time low fatality rate, with serious injuries down 2.8% from 2024
- Child fatalities: 6 child fatalities in 2025, down 63% from 16 in 2024
- Five-year trend: Overall crashes down approximately 50% comparing post-2020 to pre-2020 data
- Borough breakdown: Brooklyn and Queens together account for 62.1% of all crash-related injuries in NYC
NYC's Vision Zero initiative continues to drive these improvements through infrastructure changes, enforcement, and public education.
Notable New York Hit and Run Cases
State v. Seabrook (2024-2025)
In January 2024, Hayden Wallace, 29, was killed in a hit and run crash in Bushwick, Brooklyn. After an extensive investigation, Christopher Seabrook, 28, of Brooklyn was arrested in February 2025, more than a year after the fatal incident. The delayed arrest highlights the challenges of hit and run investigations but also demonstrates law enforcement's commitment to solving these cases.
Queens Road Rage Fatality (2024)
In April 2025, a Queens grand jury indicted a Brooklyn motorist for murder following a fatal hit and run that killed a Breezy Point man. The incident began as a road rage confrontation on the Belt Parkway in May 2024. The murder charge reflects the intentional nature of the driver's conduct.
Civil Liability and How Victims Collect Compensation
New York is a no-fault state, meaning your own insurance company pays for your injuries regardless of who caused the accident. However, victims of hit and run may sue under certain conditions:
- Physical contact required: There must be contact between your vehicle and the fleeing vehicle
- Report within 24 hours: You must report the accident within 24 hours to preserve your uninsured motorist claim
- Threshold injury requirement: To recover for pain and suffering, your injuries must meet the standards set by New York's no-fault insurance laws
If these conditions are met, you may sue the at-fault driver for medical expenses, pain and suffering, and other damages. If a fleeing driver injured you, have a New York car accident lawyer check the contact, reporting, and injury-threshold conditions in a free claim review (attorney advertising).
Statute of Limitations:
- Personal injury claims: 3 years
- Wrongful death claims: 2 years from date of death
- Negligence claims: 3 years
Possible Defenses to Hit and Run Charges
Common defenses used in New York include:
- No injury, death, or property damage: If there was no actual harm, you may not have committed an offense
- Safety concerns: You left the scene to avoid further harm or injury, or you feared for your safety
- Mistaken identity: You were not the driver of the vehicle in question
- Lack of knowledge: You genuinely did not know an accident occurred
Other New York Laws
- New York Recording Laws
- New York Car Seat Laws
- New York Statute of Limitations
- New York Whistleblower Laws
- New York Lemon Law
- New York Sexting Laws
- New York Child Support Laws
More New York Laws
Frequently Asked Questions
How long do I have to report an accident in New York?
You have 10 days to file a written report with the DMV for accidents involving injury, death, or property damage over $1,000. You should call police at the scene for any significant accident. If you are filing an uninsured motorist claim, you must report the accident within 24 hours.
Do I need to call the police for a minor fender bender in New York?
If property damage is under $1,000 and no one is injured, you are not required to call police. However, you must still exchange information with the other driver. If you hit an unattended vehicle, you must report it to police rather than just leaving a note.
How many points does hit and run add to my license in New York?
Leaving the scene of an accident adds 3 demerit points to your New York driver's license, regardless of whether the accident involved property damage or personal injury.
Can I sue the driver who hit me and fled in New York?
Yes, if the driver is identified and there was physical contact between vehicles. You must report the accident within 24 hours and meet New York's injury threshold requirements to recover for pain and suffering. Your uninsured motorist coverage may also apply.
What is the most serious penalty for hit and run in New York?
The most serious standard hit and run charge is a Class D felony for leaving the scene of a fatal accident, carrying up to 7 years in prison and $2,000 to $5,000 in fines. However, if the facts support it, prosecutors may also charge vehicular manslaughter (Class D felony, up to 7 years) or even murder.
Updates
Corrected the penalty breakdown: a property-damage-only hit and run is a traffic infraction with no misdemeanor or felony tier, the misdemeanor and felony tiers apply to personal-injury incidents under VTL 600(2)(c), and failing to file a DMV accident report is a misdemeanor under VTL 605, not a felony.
The Law Behind This Article
This article rests on the statutory provisions below, held in our own legal record and retrieved from the official source. Tap a section to read the operative text.
New York Vehicle and Traffic Law
§ 600Leaving scene of an incident without reportingIn forcecited in 2 of our articles
Leaving scene of an incident without reporting. 1. Property damage. a. Any person operating a motor vehicle who, knowing or having cause to know that damage has been caused to the real property or to the personal property, not including animals, of another, due to an incident involving the motor vehicle operated by such person shall, before leaving the place where the damage occurred, stop, exhibit his or her license and insurance identification card for such vehicle, when such card is required pursuant to articles six and eight of this chapter, and give his or her name, residence, including street and number, insurance carrier and insurance identification information including but not limited to the number and effective dates of said individual's insurance policy, and license number to the party sustaining the damage, or in case the person sustaining the damage is not present at the place where the damage occurred then he or she shall report the same as soon as physically able to the nearest police station, or judicial officer.
Official text (excerpt) · last checked 2026-09-24 · Read the full text in our law library · Verify at legislation.nysenate.gov
Cited in 193 court opinions in our collectionLatest citing opinion in our collection: 2026
Opinions citing this section in our collection:
- People v. Flynn (New York Court of Appeals 1992, 79 N.Y.2d 879)“…cted of leaving the scene of an accident without reporting (Vehicle and Traffic Law § 600 [1] *881 [a]) and other crimes. At tri…”
- People v. Toussaint (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of the State of New York 2007, 40 A.D.3d 1017)“…the scene of an incident without reporting, in violation of Vehicle and Traffic Law § 600, is unpreserved for appellate review, a…”
- The People v. Victor Soto (New York Court of Appeals 2015, 26 N.Y.3d 455)“…determined that Hunt's minor violation, in contravention of Vehicle and Traffic Law § 600, did not qualify. The jury…”
Identified automatically from the court opinions citing this section — not a ranking of which case controls.
Also relied on in: New York Car Accident Laws: No-Fault, Serious Injury, and Your Claim
§ 605Report required upon accidentIn forcecited in 5 of our articles
Report required upon accident. (a) 1. Every person operating a motor vehicle, except a police officer (as defined in subdivision thirty-four of section 1.20 of the criminal procedure law), a correction officer, or a firefighter, operating a police department, a correction department, or fire department vehicle respectively while on duty, if a report has been filed by the owner of such vehicle, which is in any manner involved in an accident, anywhere within the boundaries of this state, in which any person is killed or injured, or in which damage to the property of any one person, including himself, in excess of one thousand dollars is sustained, shall within ten days after such accident, report the matter in writing to the commissioner. If such operator or chauffeur be physically incapable of making such report and there be another participant in the accident not incapacitated, such participant shall make such report within ten days after such accident.
Official text (excerpt) · last checked 2026-07-29 · Read the full text in our law library · Verify at legislation.nysenate.gov
Cited in 6 court opinions in our collectionLatest citing opinion in our collection: 1997
Opinions citing this section in our collection:
- Davis v. State (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of the State of New York 1986, 124 A.D.2d 420)“…accident to the Department of Motor Vehicles as required by Vehicle and Traffic Law § 605 (a). Through claimant’s brother, the tr…”
- Eveready Insurance v. Levine (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of the State of New York 1988, 145 A.D.2d 526)“…s because the property damage was in excess of $600 (see, Vehicle and Traffic Law § 605). The manner in which the instant accid…”
- Welde v. Wolfson (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of the State of New York 1969, 32 A.D.2d 973)“…incidents which attend the filing of an MV-104 report (cf. Vehicle and Traffic Law §§ 605, 354; Public Officers Law, § 66-a; Pena…”
Identified automatically from the court opinions citing this section — not a ranking of which case controls.
Also relied on in: New York Police Reports: How to Get a Crash Report, Incident Report, or Bodycam Video, How to File a Police Report: 911, Online, and In-Person Options, How to Read a Police Report: Sections, Codes, and Fault Language
New York Penal Law
§ 125.12Vehicular manslaughter in the second degreeIn force
Vehicular manslaughter in the second degree. A person is guilty of vehicular manslaughter in the second degree when he or she causes the death of another person, and either: (1) operates a motor vehicle in violation of subdivision two, three, four or four-a of section eleven hundred ninety-two of the vehicle and traffic law or operates a vessel or public vessel in violation of paragraph (b), (c), (d) or (e) of subdivision two of section forty-nine-a of the navigation law, and as a result of such intoxication or impairment by the use of a drug, or by the combined influence of drugs or of alcohol and any drug or drugs, operates such motor vehicle, vessel or public vessel in a manner that causes the death of such other person, or (2) operates a motor vehicle with a gross vehicle weight rating of more than eighteen thousand pounds which contains flammable gas, radioactive materials or explosives in violation of subdivision one of section eleven hundred ninety-two of the vehicle and traffic law, and such flammable gas, radioactive materials or explosives is the cause of such death, and as a result of such impairment by the use of alcohol, operates such motor vehicle in a manner that…
Official text (excerpt) · last checked 2026-07-29 · Read the full text in our law library · Verify at legislation.nysenate.gov
Cited in 90 court opinions in our collectionLatest citing opinion in our collection: 2025
Opinions citing this section in our collection:
- In re Johnston (New York Court of Appeals 1990, 75 N.Y.2d 403)“…York felony of vehicular manslaughter, defined in New York Penal Law § 125.12. The Appellate Division agreed and orde…”
- People v. Ferguson (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of the State of New York 2021, 193 A.D.3d 1253)“…ommitted vehicular manslaughter in the second degree ( see Penal Law § 125.12), that he had been convicted of violati…”
- People v. Caden N. (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of the State of New York 2020, 189 A.D.3d 84)“…in a manner that causes the death of such other person" (Penal Law § 125.12 [1]). Vehicle and Traffic Law § 1192 (4…”
Identified automatically from the court opinions citing this section — not a ranking of which case controls.
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Sources and References
- New York VTL Section 600: Leaving Scene of an Incident Without Reporting(nysenate.gov).gov
- New York DMV Accident Report Form (MV-104)(dmv.ny.gov).gov
- New York Criminal Jury Instructions: VTL 600 Felony(nycourts.gov).gov
- New York Criminal Jury Instructions: VTL 600 Misdemeanor (Injury)(nycourts.gov).gov
- NY Senate Bill S3639 (Nick's Law): Proposed Penalty Increase for Fatal Hit and Run(nysenate.gov).gov
- New York VTL Section 605: Report Required Upon Accident(nysenate.gov)
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