Lawyers for a driver who fatally hit a young Indigenous woman with his ute have said that he fled the scene because he "feared for his safety".

Key points: Troy Stevenson, 51, was sentenced to three years in jail for leaving the scene after fatally hitting a woman with his car

Troy Stevenson, 51, was sentenced to three years in jail for leaving the scene after fatally hitting a woman with his car The court heard he believed it was unwise to stop in such situations

The court heard he believed it was unwise to stop in such situations Police picked him up the next morning and he claimed he was just about to go see them. The court rejected this

But a Northern Territory Supreme Court judge in Alice Springs on Tuesday rejected the argument and sentenced 51-year-old Troy Stevenson to three years in jail for leaving the scene on Gap Road in Alice Springs on the evening of January 4.

The sentence could be suspended after 18 months, so with time already served he could be released in a year.

Stevenson's lawyers had argued he felt it was unsafe to stop and help the victim, who cannot be named for cultural reasons, because her companions were distressed and shouting, and he feared for his safety.

He had told the court that he heard it was unwise to stop in such situations in Alice Springs.

Justice Jenny Blokland said that while Stevenson pleaded guilty early on in the court process, this argument eroded much of the credit that an early plea would normally gain.

"It comes perilously close to traversing the plea of guilty," she said.

"The law does not allow this as an excuse."

Stevenson also claimed he got out of his ute to see what had happened, but that contradicted evidence given by other witnesses and was rejected by the judge.

Justice Blokland said if Stevenson had genuine fears for his safety, he could have gone to the police station straight away to report the accident.

"Mr Stevenson acted in a very callous way," she said.

Troy Stevenson was sentenced to three years in jail. ( ABC News: Steven Schubert )

Stevenson had left the Gap View Hotel, where he was staying, just before hitting the woman.

He was picked up by police the morning after the accident, and claimed he was about to go talk to them, a claim which Justice Blokland rejected.

The delay meant there was no way of knowing whether Stevenson was over the alcohol limit at the time.

That meant he was sentenced for the hit-and-run only, not for the death of the woman.

The judge said that Stevenson had been addicted to heroin for 22 years, but had been clean for 17 months at the time of the accident.