§ 782.071, Fla. Stat. · Chapter 782. HOMICIDE
Vehicular homicide.
Text — 2026 Florida Statutes
“Vehicular homicide” is the killing of a human being, or the killing of an unborn child by any injury to the mother, caused by the operation of a motor vehicle by another in a reckless manner likely to cause the death of, or great bodily harm to, another.
(1) Vehicular homicide is:
(a) A felony of the second degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082, s. 775.083, or s. 775.084.
(b) A felony of the first degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082, s. 775.083, or s. 775.084, if:
1. At the time of the accident, the person knew, or should have known, that the accident occurred; and
2. The person failed to give information and render aid as required by s. 316.062.
This paragraph does not require that the person knew that the accident resulted in injury or death.
(c) A felony of the first degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082, s. 775.083, or s. 775.084, if the person has a prior conviction under this section, s. 316.193(3)(c)3., s. 327.35(3)(a)3.c., or s. 782.072.
(2) For purposes of this section, the term “unborn child” has the same meaning as provided in s. 775.021(5).
(3) A right of action for civil damages shall exist under s. 768.19, under all circumstances, for all deaths described in this section.
(4) In addition to any other punishment, the court may order the person to serve 120 community service hours in a trauma center or hospital that regularly receives victims of vehicle accidents, under the supervision of a registered nurse, an emergency room physician, or an emergency medical technician pursuant to a voluntary community service program operated by the trauma center or hospital.
Notes and commentary — not statutory text
History
s. 16, ch. 74-383; s. 6, ch. 75-298; s. 12, ch. 86-296; s. 14, ch. 96-330; s. 9, ch. 98-417; s. 1, ch. 99-153; s. 2, ch. 2001-147; s. 5, ch. 2014-194; s. 6, ch. 2025-121; s. 48, ch. 2026-14.
Source of truth
- Edition
- 2026 Florida Statutes
- Official file
- https://www.leg.state.fl.us/Statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0700-0799/0782/0782.html
- Text hash
- sha256 5132498e74862ff7dfe9148f8103226543dc6b47adabc31728ed7222dc628eb0
- Composed by
- compose_v2.py 2026-10-04: the Legislature's structured HTML read in document order; verify_v2.py's independent reading agrees character for character
- composed from the Legislature's structured HTML (one source of text; no PDF extraction); a second, independent reading of the same bytes agrees character for character
This section cites
Provisions in this library that the text above cites, as it prints each citation. A range cited as “ss. 61.13-61.16” links its first and last provisions.
The Florida Statutes
- § 316.062, Fla. Stat.Duty to give information and render aid.Printed as s. 316.062
- § 316.193, Fla. Stat.Driving under the influence; penalties.Printed as s. 316.193(3)(c)3.
- § 327.35, Fla. Stat.Boating under the influence; penalties; “designated drivers.”Printed as s. 327.35(3)(a)3.
- § 768.19, Fla. Stat.Right of action.Printed as s. 768.19
Cited by 6 provisions
Provisions in this library whose text cites § 782.071, Fla. Stat.. Each shows the citation as that text prints it.
The Florida Statutes
- § 316.193, Fla. Stat.Driving under the influence; penalties.Printed as s. 782.071
- § 327.35, Fla. Stat.Boating under the influence; penalties; “designated drivers.”Printed as s. 782.071
- § 782.072, Fla. Stat.Vessel homicide.Printed as s. 782.071
- § 943.0584, Fla. Stat.Criminal history records ineligible for court-ordered expunction or court-ordered sealing.Printed as s. 782.071
Procedural information only. Not legal advice and not a substitute for the advice of an attorney. Confirm the current text with the official publisher before relying on it.