Hit and Run Accidents

[Sdiver]

We've seen a rash of Hit and Run Accidents here in the Denver metro area as of late.

Last week a SUV Cadillac hit a mother with her two young boys, who were in a stroller. The boys were killed and the mother is in the ICU at Denver Health. There are several surveillance camera shots of the incident, but not enough clarity to get a license plate number.

The latest happened this past Tuesday, where a woman ran a red light, hit another car, then got out of her car and ran. The police were able to make an arrest on this one. The driver of the other car was killed, so she looks to be in jail for a long time to come.

One of the local news stations compiled a list of Hit and Runs in the area for the past year .... http://www.9news.com/news/local/arti...ns-on-the-rise

What's it like in your AO?
Seen any increase or decrease?

[Brian C]

They happen quite often in the Dallas area also. I've seen a lot in the area I use to work. Mostly due to a combination of drunk driving and people walking right next to the stripe, on the shoulder of the road. They also feel the necessity to wear all black when it's at night and there aren't any street lights present.

[mark46th]

Bienvenidos a Southern California. We average about one a week out here...

[Badger52]

Few a month, mostly parking lot f-benders (or fiberglas crunchers), in a burg area of 10K or so. The 2 different ones I witnessed in front of the house where moving car veered & struck parked car's quarter panel & mirror - the drivers were texting, no doubt about it, they looked up & didn't even have time to say "ohsh*t"

Unfortunately for them corrected-vision at 60 being better than at 20, license plates were garnered & spoken into the cell-thingy.

See this all the time on the road; distraction by in-cockpit task causing slow-down (if no cruise), veering, head-down = texting around here 9/10 times. I try to keep distance from these moving event horizons.

[Red Flag 1]

A growing trend hat points out how society views responsibility for personal action. It is ok to do anything you want, so long as you don't get caught. Such a sad, sad commentary.

RF 1

[The Reaper]

Illegals, most likely, or other people with no insurance or a reason not to want to interact with the popo.

TR

[Richard]

Originally Posted by Brian C

They happen quite often in the Dallas area also.

Yep. I remember this one in particular - we spent a bit of time discussing the morality of it with our high school students at that time.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,47361,00.html

Richard

[Richard]

Originally Posted by Red Flag 1

A growing trend hat points out how society views responsibility for personal action. It is ok to do anything you want, so long as you don't get caught. Such a sad, sad commentary.

RF 1

I'm not so sure we can surmise whether it's a "growing trend" or whether, statistically speaking, it's an "on-going, recurring trend" that "appears" to be growing when, as a % of such accidents, it is more-or-less the same but with more exposure - i.e., more people + more cars = more such accidents but no change in % of such accidents, and, combined with more media reporting and ready access to such stats, a perception of a "growing" trend.

For example, if such accidents were, say, 1% of all auto accidents, it would amount to 30k such accidents with 3M cars on the road and 300k accidents with 30M cars on the road.

It would be interesting to review the research (if out there) and see whether it has risen, remained more-or-less constant, or actually dropped over the last quarter of a Century.

Richard

[Brian C]

Originally Posted by Richard

Yep. I remember this one in particular - we spent a bit of time discussing the morality of it with our high school students at that time.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,47361,00.html

Richard

That was before my time down here, but that doesn't surprise me at all. It irritates me to no end that the prosecutor on that was downplaying it as failing to stop and render aid. Last year we had an officer who worked deep nights hit a lady and everyone tried to crucify the officer. They reviewed the video and he was driving the speed limit and it was later released that the lady was wearing all black, crossing the street where there were absolutely no street lights, extremely high on cocaine, and had a BAC of .2 something... who's fault did they try to make it, the cops.

I've seen it range from kids all the way up to elder/homeless. Given the area I spent the most time in dealing with them, I'd agree that it's mostly illegals or those too high or drunk. Sad world.

[PSM]

Originally Posted by Richard

Yep. I remember this one in particular - we spent a bit of time discussing the morality of it with our high school students at that time.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,47361,00.html

Richard

Not really a "hit and run". More like a "hit and tote home".

Pat