February 2024 Edition

Hit & Run Awareness Month

Hit & Run Penalties for Leaving the Scene of a Crash

Some crashes may involve property damage only, such as a parked car with no one inside, a mailbox, fence, or landscape/garden. If you are involved in a crash involving property damage only, you must stay at the scene and attempt to locate or contact the property owner. If you cannot locate the property owner, the driver responsible for the crash should leave their contact and insurance information in an identifiable location.

In the case of property damage only, the driver and the owner of the property that was damaged – once contact has been made between them – can self-file a crash report with FLHSMV; they do not need law enforcement to file a crash report.

If you are involved in a hit-and-run crash:

1. Call 911 immediately if there are injuries.
2. Collect as much information as possible about the vehicle that hit you: license plate number, car make and model, color, age, and the part of the vehicle that hit yours.
3. Call the police: request to file a report and provide as many details as possible.
4. Talk to any witnesses: ask for their names and contact information.
5. Don't leave the scene of the crash.
6. Call your insurance company.

If you witness a hit-and-run crash, law enforcement encourages you to contact them with any information you may have. You can also report it by calling *FHP (*347) or submitting an anonymous tip by calling your local Crime Stoppers organization, Florida Crime Stoppers **TIPS (**8477), or using the Florida Crime Stoppers mobile app.

The vast majority of hit-and-run fatalities occur at night or during low-light hours. According to an FLHSMV analysis, over 84 percent of all hit-and-run fatalities from 2015 to 2019 occurred at night or during low-light hours. Additionally, while bicyclists and pedestrians are involved in a small percentage of hit-and-run crashes overall, bicyclists and pedestrians make up 21 percent of all hit-and-run fatalities. According to the FLHSMV Florida Crash Dashboard, 2023 preliminary data indicates that there were 2,726 hit-and-run crashes with 4 fatalities and 630 injuries in Volusia and Flagler Counties.

Best Foot Forward for

Pedestrian Safety Program

The Best Foot Forward for Pedestrian Safety program is administered by the local non-profit Bike/Walk Central Florida (BWCF). Best Foot Forward was created to reverse the conflict between pedestrians and drivers by focusing on one specific behavior change – getting more drivers to yield for pedestrians at marked crosswalks as Florida law requires. More than a campaign, Best Foot Forward is a behavior change-based program designed to improve road safety through consistent and persistent education, high-visibility crosswalk enforcement, and low-cost engineering at marked crosswalks in urban areas and cross-sections of low and high-speed roads.

Beginning on February 6, 2024, law enforcement agencies across Volusia County will team up to enforce Florida’s driver yield laws. Drivers who fail to yield or stop for pedestrians in marked crosswalks will receive warnings or citations to spotlight the importance of staying alert at all marked crosswalks. Avoid a traffic stop – when you see a person in the crosswalk, stop and let them safely pass. Visit iyield4peds.org/operationbff to learn more.

River to Sea TPO Seeking Public Input

The River to Sea TPO is requesting public comment on the following proposed amendment to its Connect 2045 Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP):

Addition of the I-4 Connector and US 92 Interchange Modification and Improvement Project to the Cost Feasible Plan as developer-funded.

Please see the document below for more information:

Connect 2045 Amendment 6 Support Documentation

Members of the public are encouraged to provide input regarding this proposed amendment to the Connect 2045 LRTP via one of the following three ways:

• Call us at 386.226.0422
• Email us at staff@r2ctpo.org
• Submit a comment at www.r2ctpo.org

Recommended action on this amendment will occur in February 2024 at the following meetings of the TPO advisory committees:

• CAC Meeting  February 20, 2024 @ 1:15 p.m.
• TCC Meeting   February 20, 2024 @ 3:00 p.m.

The River to Sea TPO Board is expected to review and take action on the proposed amendment at their meeting on Wednesday, February 28, 2024, beginning at 9:00 a.m. 

All committee and TPO Board meetings are open to the public and public participation is welcomed. If you are unable to attend these meetings, comments may be provided in advance in writing or by contacting the TPO staff. The above committee and TPO Board meetings will take place at:

Daytona Beach International Airport

First-floor Airline Room

700 Catalina Drive

Daytona Beach, FL 32114

In February, the United States honors the contributions and sacrifices of African Americans who have helped shape the nation by celebrating Black History Month. As we look back throughout the years, we recognize the innovative ideas, achievements, and significant contributions of the many African Americans who have revolutionized the transportation industry and continue to advance our country as a whole. Charles and Frederick Patterson are just two of the many people who have made a difference in the transportation industry.

Charles R. Patterson was born a slave and later gained his freedom. He is known for creating the very successful C.R. Patterson and Sons Carriage Company. After his death, his eldest son, Frederick, noticed the rise of horseless carriages and converted the company into a bus and car company. This made the Pattersons the first African American-owned company to manufacture cars.

2024 Annual TPO

Call for Projects is Open

The River to Sea Transportation Planning Organization (TPO) is now accepting applications for projects to be added to our List of Priority Projects. These applications will be used by the TPO to qualify and prioritize proposed transportation-related projects for feasibility study and/or implementation using federal and/or state transportation funding.

The deadline for submitting project applications is

4:00 p.m. on Thursday, February 29, 2024.

Applications submitted after the deadline will not be accepted.

All applications must be uploaded to the River to Sea TPO file transfer site:

Click This Link to Upload Your Completed Application

to the River to Sea TPO

Only applications for transportation-related projects in the following Priority Project categories will be considered at this time:

• Traffic Operations, Safety, and Local Initiatives (traffic operations-focused) Projects
• Bicycle/Pedestrian and B/P Local Initiatives (bicycle and pedestrian-focused) Projects
• Transportation Planning Studies
• Transportation Regional Incentive Program (TRIP) Eligible Projects (letter of support only)
• Shared Use Non-Motorized (SUN) Trail projects (letter of support only)

Application Process Support

To help with the application process, the following items will be available for download from the River to Sea TPO’s website (2024 Call for Projects Information):

1.   Memorandum Announcing River to Sea TPO’s Annual Call for Projects

2.   Schedule for the 2024 Priority Project Process

3.   2023 Adopted Lists of Priority Projects

4.   General Instructions for Project Applications

5.  Priority Project Application for Traffic Operations, Safety, and Local Initiatives Projects

6. Priority Project Application for Bicycle/Pedestrian and B/P Local Initiatives Projects

7. Priority Project Application for Transportation Planning Studies

8.  Supporting Resolutions

For questions regarding Traffic Operations, Safety, and Local Initiatives Projects, and Transportation Planning Studies, contact Colleen Nicoulin, at 386-226-0422, extension 20417.

For questions regarding Bicycle/Pedestrian and B/P Local Initiatives Projects, contact Stephan Harris, at 386-226-0422, extension 20428.

*Meeting held in the Airline Room at Daytona Beach International Airport, 700 Catalina Drive, Daytona Beach (parking will be validated)

**Meeting held at the River to Sea TPO office, 1 Deuce Court, Suite 100, Daytona Beach