The shock is great in Schijndel after the deadly accident of last Sunday night. A 79-year-old woman was hit on the landing road and died on the spot. The driver of the vehicle drove on after the collision, but two suspects were arrested on Monday afternoon. But which penalties are actually on driving on it? And what should you do if you get involved in an accident? “Fleeing is sometimes an automatic reaction.”
According to the law, it is mandatory to stop after a collision, even if it seems as if there is little damage. You must give your data to the other party, such as your name, address and license plate. If that other party is not there, for example with a parked car, then you are obliged to leave that data clearly visible. If there is injury or a fatal victim, such as in Schijndel, you must immediately call in the police.
Report as soon as possible
Yet it happens that people panic and drive away. Not entirely illogical, criminal lawyer Joris van ‘t Hoff told Omroep Brabant earlier. “They know that they are wrong, for example because they drank or drove too fast. There threatens a big punishment and they see driving as the most efficient tactics.” According to him, smaller motifs sometimes play along: “People want to avoid a fine, or are afraid of losing their no-claim discount.”
Panic often plays a major role, it also knows traffic psychologist Gerard Tertoolen. In 2022 he already said that people often respond from their instinct after a fierce event. “When people are confronted with danger, they respond intuitively. Fleeing is an automatic reaction. Pure urge to survive.”
Anyone who continues after an accident with injury is therefore by definition punishable. Nevertheless, the law takes into account that someone can imagine. The faster you do that, the greater the chance that it will be taken to your advantage. In practice, it is usually examined whether someone has reported within 12 to 24 hours. If you wait longer, the police take this into account as a aggravating circumstance in the assessment.
And then there is also such a thing as blunt bad luck. For example, sometimes people don’t even know that they have caused an accident. “For example, someone can wear the radio very hard or have sound -damping ears. That is both not punishable in traffic,” explains Van ‘t Hoff. And ignorance about the rules also occurs. “For example, some drivers do not even know that you should stop after slight damage to another vehicle.”
Fine to imprisonment
The punishment for driving depends on the seriousness of the accident. If there is only material damage, for example on a bicycle or a car, you can get a prison sentence for up to three months or a big fine. If there is injury, it can go up to a year in prison. In the case of a fatal accident, such as in Schijndel, you even risk three years in prison and a long -term denial of your driver’s license.
It is therefore clear that the police are taking a serious time. In such cases everything is immediately pulled out of the closet to find the responsible director. For example, by looking at paint traces or debris, but also the checking of camera images in the area. The latter resources will also have led to the car involved in Schijndel.