California’s Proposed “Yellow Alerts” Could Help to Bring Hit-and-Run Drivers to Justice

car problemsHit-and-runs seem like an incurable plague of the roads as the number of occurrences is disturbingly high. The biggest problem with hit-and-run drivers is that they are notoriously difficult to bring to justice because of how hard it is to find the negligent driver. Reasons a driver may choose to flee the scene of an accident include standing warrants for their arrest and/or drug or alcohol use.

California is in the process of passing a bill that will provide a new tool for finding suspected hit-and-run drivers called Yellow Alerts. Like Amber Alerts, the Yellow Alert would be a freeway alert notice sent out to the masses on freeway message boards. These alerts would contain whatever information was available including car or culprit descriptions.

Big supporters of this new alert system include police forces and firemen, and motorcycle, bicycle and pedestrian advocates. However, the California Highway Patrol have officially stated their opposition to the bill as it could take away from the impact of the Amber Alert as well as make it difficult to get other important messages out because it would be one more thing to clog up the pipes, so to speak.

Another controversial argument is that due to the recent ruling that allows undocumented immigrants to get licenses in the state of California, the number of hit-and-runs will come down. The California Highway Patrol believes that fewer undocumented immigrants will flee the scene now that they won’t be worried about charges related to driving without a valid license.

Assemblyman Mike Gatto said recently that “it’s gotten to the point where not a single week goes by without seeing another hit-and-run tragedy occurring,” and “California has the existing alert infrastructure in place, and it costs us next to nothing to use it. I have no doubt the Yellow Alert System would help apprehend criminals and have them brought to justice.”

Regardless of how you feel about the Yellow Alert, hit-and-run drivers are causing property damage and serious injury and should not be getting away with it. Call Bonnici Law Group if you have been injured in a car accident.

Bonnici Law GroupSan Diego Injury Attorney



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