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S 2310Violent Crime Penalties

Motor and Other Vehicles - Accidents and Accident Reports - The Matthew O'gara Act of 2026

This bill increases prison time, fines, and license suspensions for drivers who flee accidents causing injury or death.

Held for study
Population
Affected
15
Email Legislator
Introduced Jan 23, 2026Committee Senate Judiciary

Plain-English Summary

The "Matthew O'Gara Act of 2026" significantly increases the legal penalties for drivers who flee the scene of a vehicle accident resulting in injury or death. The bill mandates stricter prison sentences, including a minimum ten-year sentence for accidents resulting in death (up from two years). It also raises fines up to $20,000 and extends the period for which a driver's license must be suspended or revoked. These increased penalties apply to accidents involving other vehicles, pedestrians, or cyclists.

For younger readers

This new law creates much bigger punishments for drivers who cause a crash where someone gets hurt and then run away without helping. If a driver hits a person or another car and leaves, they will have to go to jail for a much longer time than the law used to say. They will also have to pay a lot more money to the court. Also, the police will take away their driver's license for many years, meaning they are not allowed to drive at all. This is to make sure drivers stay and help if an accident happens.

Who & Where It Applies

Impacted groups
DriversPedestriansCyclistsPolice OfficersJudges
Impacted communities
All

Constitutional & Fiscal Check

None Likely

Estimated cost
Amount unknown
Estimated revenue
Drivers convicted of leaving the scene: $1,000 to $20,000 per offense depending on severity

Bill Analysis

Both viewpoints
For Progressives
  • Increases accountability for drivers who harm pedestrians and cyclists, who are often from lower-income communities or rely on non-car transit, ensuring the justice system takes their safety seriously.
  • Strengthens the social contract by mandating that individuals remain at the scene to provide aid to victims, emphasizing community welfare and mutual responsibility over individual self-preservation.
  • Provides a stronger deterrent against reckless driving behaviors that endanger public safety, potentially reducing the number of hit-and-run incidents on shared roadways.
  • Imposes harsh mandatory minimum prison sentences (e.g., 10 years for death), stripping judges of discretion and contributing to mass incarceration which disproportionately affects marginalized communities.
  • Increases financial penalties significantly, creating a system where the punishment's impact is determined by the defendant's wealth rather than the severity of the crime, potentially ruining low-income families.
  • Focuses entirely on punitive measures and incarceration rather than restorative justice or addressing the root causes of why drivers flee, such as fear of police interaction or lack of insurance.
For Conservatives
  • Reinforces the rule of law by imposing severe, mandatory consequences on individuals who attempt to evade responsibility for their criminal actions on the road.
  • Prioritizes the rights and safety of victims by ensuring that those who cause death or injury and flee face substantial prison time rather than lenient sentences.
  • Strengthens the deterrence against criminal behavior, sending a clear message that disregarding the law and public safety will result in significant loss of personal freedom.
  • Removes judicial discretion through mandatory minimum sentencing, preventing judges from considering specific circumstances or mitigating factors in individual cases.
  • Imposes excessive fines that could be viewed as the government using the justice system as a revenue-generating tool rather than solely for the administration of justice.
  • Grants the state significant power to permanently revoke licenses, which could be seen as an excessive restriction on personal freedom and the ability to work and travel.

Votes

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Full Bill Text

Changes to existing Rhode Island law · 25 additions · 14 deletions

SECTION 1. This act shall be known and may be cited as the "The Matthew O'Gara Act of 2026."

SECTION 2. Section 31-26-1 of the General Laws in Chapter 31-26 entitled "Accidents and Accident Reports" is hereby amended to read as follows: 31-26-1. Duty to stop in accidents resulting in personal injury Duty to stop in accidents resulting in personal injury -- The Matthew O'Gara Act of 2026.

(a) The driver of any vehicle knowingly involved in an accident resulting in injury to, serious bodily injury to, or death of any person shall immediately stop the vehicle at the scene of the accident or as close to it as possible, but shall then immediately return to and in every event shall remain at the scene of the accident until he or she has fulfilled the requirements of § 31-26- 3. A stop shall be made without obstructing traffic more than is necessary.

(b) Any person knowingly failing to stop or to comply with the requirements under circumstances which result in injury to any person shall upon conviction be punished by a mandatory loss of license for at least one year and not more than five (5) ten (10) years and imprisonment for not less than eighteen (18) months and not more than five (5) ten (10) years, and/or fined plus a fine of up to five thousand dollars ($5,000). (c)(1) Any person knowingly failing to stop or to comply with the requirements under circumstances which result in serious bodily injury to any person shall upon conviction be punished as follows:

(i) Every person convicted of a first violation shall be punished by imprisonment for not less than one year eighteen (18) months and for not more than ten (10) years and by a fine of not less than one thousand dollars ($1,000), nor more than five thousand dollars ($5,000). The sentencing judge shall have the discretion to sentence the person to any unit of the adult correctional institutions. Additionally, the license of the person shall be revoked for a period of up to at least two (2) years and not more than ten (10) years. The license privilege shall not be reinstated until evidence satisfactory to the administrator of the division of motor vehicles establishes that no grounds exist which would authorize refusal to issue a license and until the person gives proof of financial responsibility pursuant to chapter 32 of this title.

(ii) For a second or subsequent conviction under this subsection within a five (5) year period, a person shall be punished by imprisonment for not less than two (2) years nor more than fifteen (15) years and by a fine of not less than three thousand dollars ($3,000) nor more than ten thousand dollars ($10,000). The sentencing judge shall have the discretion to sentence the person to any unit of the adult correctional institutions. Additionally, the license of the person shall be revoked for a period of up to at least four (4) years and not more than fifteen (15) years. The license privilege shall not be reinstated until evidence satisfactory to the administrator of the division of motor vehicles establishes that no grounds exist which would authorize refusal to issue a license and until the person gives proof of financial responsibility pursuant to chapter 32 of this title.

(2) As used in this subsection, “serious bodily injury” means physical injury that creates a substantial risk of death or causes serious physical disfigurement or protracted loss or impairment of the function of any bodily member or organ.

(d) Any person knowingly failing to stop or to comply with the requirements under circumstances which result in the death of any person, shall upon conviction be punished pursuant to the provisions of this subsection as follows:

(1) Every person convicted of a first violation of this subsection shall be punished by imprisonment in the state prison for not less than two (2) ten (10) years and for not more than fifteen

(15) years, in any unit of the adult correctional institutions in the discretion of the sentencing judge, by a fine of not less than five thousand dollars ($5,000) ten thousand dollars ($10,000) nor more than ten thousand dollars ($10,000) twenty thousand dollars ($20,000), and his or her license to operate a motor vehicle shall be revoked for a period of three (3) not less than ten (10) years and not more than fifteen (15) years. The license privilege shall not be reinstated until evidence satisfactory to the administrator of the division of motor vehicles establishes that no grounds exist which would authorize the refusal to issue a license, and until the person gives proof of financial responsibility pursuant to chapter 32 of this title.

(2) Every person convicted of a second or subsequent violation of this subsection within a five (5) year period shall be punished by imprisonment in the state prison for not less than five (5) ten (10) years and for not more than twenty (20) years, in any unit of the adult correctional institutions in the discretion of the sentencing judge, by a fine of not less than ten thousand dollars ($10,000) nor more than twenty thousand dollars ($20,000) and his or her license to operate a motor vehicle shall be revoked for a period of not less than five (5) years ten (10) years and may be permanently revoked. The If less than a permanent revocation is imposed the license privilege shall not be reinstated until evidence satisfactory to the administrator of the division of motor vehicles establishes that no grounds exist which would authorize the refusal to issue a license, and until the person gives proof of financial responsibility pursuant to chapter 32 of this title.

(e) This section shall apply in its entirety to any driver of a motor vehicle knowingly involved in an accident with a pedestrian or a person riding a bicycle.

SECTION 3. This act shall take effect upon passage.