PASCO COUNTY, FL- The tbreporter.com writes that a cyclist in Pasco County was struck by a hit-and-run driver on Wednesday, September 5, 2018. The victim was identified as Hans Mentor of Wesley Chapel. Mentor was riding on Boyette Road near Vienna Woods at around 10:49 p.m. when he was struck by a vehicle.
The Florida Highway Patrol report that Mentor was traveling north on Boyette when a vehicle drove up behind him and struck the back of the bike. After striking Mentor, the driver left the scene. Mentor died at the site of the crash. Reports indicate Mentor was not wearing a helmet when he was hit.
The police are looking for any information about the driver or vehicle that struck Mentor.
Hit-and-run drivers cause thousands of deaths in the United States every year. Pedestrians and cyclists are more likely to be the victims of these crashes than are other vehicle occupants. In some places around the country, hit-and-run accidents happen so frequently that the issue is considered an epidemic. While cities have been working to lower vehicle-related accidents, drivers who flee the scene of accidents often elude the police.**
In many cases, drivers who flee the scene of crashes do so because they are in violation of an unrelated law. For instance, these drivers may be driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs or could be driving without a license.***
States have taken steps to increase the penalties for fleeing the scene of an accident as part of an effort to reduce hit-and-run crashes. In some states, police have also implemented alert programs to aid in the apprehending of hit-and-run drivers.
* http://www.tbreporter.com/traffic/bicyclist-dies-pasco-hit-run-crash/
** http://aaafoundation.org/hit-and-run-crashes-prevalence-contributing-factors-and-countermeasures/
*** https://aaafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/18-0058_Hit-and-Run-Brief_FINALv2.pdf
