California’s hit-and-run crisis / More flee fatal accidents here than any other state
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/object.cgi?paper=chronicle&file=MN292165.DTL&directory=/chronicle/archive/2003/07/27&type=news&object=/chronicle/pictures/2003/07/27/mn_fatalhitandruns.jpg
Law enforcement officers and traffic safety experts point to several possible reasons. An abundance of unlicensed drivers, the proliferation of wide, busy thoroughfares and intersections, California’s car culture, fear of strict penalties for drunken driving and the large number of drivers driving without auto insurance all share the blame.
“I don’t think it’s just one thing,” said Sgt. Russell Chew of the Oakland Police Department traffic section. “It’s hard to put a finger on it — hard to figure out what goes into someone’s decision to flee.”
The preponderance of hit-and-run accidents stuns even some veteran law enforcement officers.
“How could you not stop?” said Lt. John Carlin of the San Francisco Police Department traffic division. “It defies any form of common sense. You should know that if you hit a person that you have an obligation to stop and assist them.”
But in California, many drivers do not.
One explanation that comes up repeatedly among traffic safety experts is California’s high number of unlicensed drivers — primarily undocumented residents who cannot legally be licensed and drivers with suspended or expired licenses.
Drivers who not only face possible arrest or citation but also risk being deported or losing their driving privileges are more likely to speed away from an accident, law enforcement officials said.
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