hit-and-run epidemic
Los Angeles is experiencing a hit-and-run epidemic. According to nbclosangeles, "A hit-and-run crash occurs about once every 18 minutes in Los Angeles, according to data analyzed by the NBC4 I-Team that illustrates the extent of a problem that has been called an "epidemic." The I-Team examined data reported to the California Highway Patrol on all hit-and-run cases in Los Angeles County for 2015. More than 28,000 reported hit-and-run crashes during that year occurred over a widespread area of the county at an alarming rate and 50 percent of all incidents in Los Angeles County are hit-and-run cases.
The national average is 11 percent, according to the American Automobile Association.
Most hit-and-run cases do not involve injuries, according to the data. They often involve a driver striking a parked vehicle, then leaving the scene.
Maybe the intersections that have the most hit-and-run incidents are badly designed intersections. Badly designed or badly maintained with too much traffic congestion, potholes, bicycle lanes that caused traffic lanes to be removed, construction projects which disrupt traffic, speed limits which are not enforced, etc. Or the epidemic could be the result of young inexperienced millennial drivers. Or caused by illegal immigrants and/or other lower income people who have a car and buy only one month of auto insurance to comply with the car registration law (in Los Angeles you must show that you have vehicle insurance in order to register your vehicle) and then they cancel the insurance after they register their car. That being the case, when they hit another vehicle they don't stop because they are driving illegally - without current insurance - and also cannot pay out of pocket for the damage to the vehicle they hit. So when they cause an accident, when they hit another car, they run (or in this case drive) away.
Or maybe they are drunk. Driving while drunk. I would like to know what time of day, or night, these hit-and-runs happen. If a lot of hit-and-runs happen late at night, it may be drunk driving or "past your bedtime" accidents.
Or maybe the epidemic of hit-and-runs is caused by the epidemic of pot smoking. These days, lots of people in L.A. are smoking marijuana -- all day. They are stoned. Day and night. And then driving. BANG! Duh.
Or, maybe drivers are simply getting more selfish and irresponsible (millennials?) "Oops, BANG, I hit another car. Damn, I banged it good. Oh, well, MY car still runs so I'm just going to drive away."
OR, even though it is illegal, maybe the hit-and-run drivers were texting while driving and not paying attention to the road. CRASH! And when they hit another car they run away - because they don't want to get arrested! Hey, drivers, don't "Drive Dumb", put the f-ing phone away!!!
Driving is a privilege not a right. Protect your privileges, protect your life, respect property (yours and other people's). Driving 4,000 pounds of metal at 40-70 mph requires our FULL attention ... ALL the time!
