South Carolina H 3127: Failure to stop a motor vehicle

Bill Text

2025-2026 Bill 3127 Text of Previous Version (May. 07, 2025) - South Carolina Legislature Online 

South Carolina General Assembly
126th Session, 2025-2026

Bill 3127

Indicates Matter Stricken
Indicates New Matter

(Text matches printed bills. Document has been reformatted to meet World Wide Web specifications.)

Indicates Matter Stricken

Indicates New Matter

Amended - Not Printed 
Bill for the House

Amt. No. 3A (LC-3127.DG0015H.docx)

May 7, 2025

H. 3127

Introduced by Reps. Robbins, Wooten, Lawson, 
Pope, Chapman, Pedalino, W. Newton, Sanders, Duncan, Hixon, Taylor, Gagnon, 
Oremus, Hartz, Davis, M. M. Smith, Vaughan, Williams, Erickson, Bradley, Cromer 
and Gilreath 

S. Printed 5/7/25--H.

Read the first time January 14, 2025

________

A bill

TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY AMENDING 
SECTION 56-5-750, RELATING TO FAILURE TO STOP MOTOR VEHICLES WHEN SIGNALED BY 
LAW ENFORCEMENT VEHICLES, SO AS TO PROVIDE THAT WHERE CERTAIN AGGRAVATING CIRCUMSTANCES 
OCCUR THE OFFENDER IS GUILTY OF A FELONY, AND TO PROVIDE PENALTies.

 Amend Title To Conform

Be it enacted by the 
General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:

SECTION 1. Section 56-5-750 (A), (B), and (C) of the S.C. Code is 
amended to read:

 (A) In the absence of mitigating 
circumstances, it is unlawful for a motor vehicle driver, while driving on a 
road, street, or highway of the State, to fail to stop when signaled by a law 
enforcement vehicle by means of a siren or flashing light. An attempt to 
increase the speed of a vehicle or in other manner avoid the pursuing law 
enforcement vehicle when signaled by a siren or flashing light is prima facie 
evidence of a violation of this section. Failure to see the flashing light or 
hear the siren does not excuse a failure to stop when the distance between the 
vehicles and other road conditions are such that it would be reasonable for a 
driver to hear or see the signals from the law enforcement vehicle.

 (B) A 
person who violates the provisions of subsection (A):

 (1) 
for a first offense where no great bodily injury or death resulted from the 
violation, is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, must be fined not 
less than five hundred dollars or imprisoned for not less 
than ninety days nor more than three years. The Department of Motor 
Vehicles must suspend the person's driver's license for at least thirty days; or

 (2) 
for a second or subsequent offense where no great bodily injury or death 
resulted from the violation, is guilty of a felony and, upon conviction, must 
be imprisoned for not more than fiveten years. The person's driver's license must be 
suspended by the department for a period of one year from the date of the 
conviction; or

 (3) where the person is found to have 
led law enforcement upon a high-speed pursuit, the person is guilty of a felony 
and, upon conviction, must be imprisoned for not more than ten years and the 
person's driver's license must be suspended for a period of one year from the 
date of conviction. For the purposes of this section, a high-speed pursuit 
occurs when the driver of the vehicle increases speed or takes evasive actions 
to avoid the pursuing law enforcement vehicle. 

 (C) A person who violates the 
provisions of subsection (A) and when driving performs an act forbidden by law 
or neglects a duty imposed by law in the driving of the vehicle:

 (1) 
where great bodily injury resulted, is guilty of a felony and, upon conviction, 
must be imprisoned for not more than ten fifteen years; or

 (2) 
where death resulted, is guilty of a felony and, upon conviction, must be 
imprisoned for not more than twenty-fivethirty years.

SECTION 2. This act takes effect one year after 
approval of the Governor.

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This web page was last updated on May 07, 2025 at 05:45 PM