Tag: DMV

hit and run

Dan AllisonLeave a comment

Hit-and-run crashes are epidemic in the Sacramento area, and increasing. The statistics for Sacramento County, 2019-2023, are:

YearPercent Hit and Run
202310.6%
20229.8%
20218.9%
20209.6%
20198.1%

And for the City of Sacramento, 2019 through 2023.

Year
Percent Hit and Run
202313.8%
202211.7%
202110.1%
202011.1%
20199.1%

These statistics are from OTS Crash Rankings Results. Note that the year 2020 was the first year of the pandemic, and was a year of reckless driving on largely empty roads, nationwide. It is also the year that red light running became pandemic, and has continued to increase.

We do not know what percentage of the hit and run fatalities would not have been a fatality if the driver had stopped to render aide and to call EMS. But we have to assume that at least some of them would have been, particularly the incidents where the victim did not die immediately on site, but was transported to the hospital alive, and later died.

State law treats traffic violence as a less serious crime than any other. In fact, unless there is strong evidence that the driver was either far gone DUI, or intentionally ran down a walker or bicyclist, there is little legal consequence. Perhaps a fine, perhaps a temporary suspension of license, but a judge will frequently assign no penalty. Hit and run is considered a misdemeanor under law. CVC says “(c) Any person failing to comply with all the requirements of this section is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction thereof, shall be punished by imprisonment in the county jail not exceeding six months, or by a fine not exceeding one thousand dollars ($1,000), or by both that imprisonment and fine.“

DMV apparently has not been assigning the two points for hit and run (Negligent Operator Treatment System), in many cases. As a response to the lack of action by DMV, AB 1685 to require DMV to assign points, among other things, passed the legislature but has not yet been signed by the (windshield) governor.

Involvement in a crash does not indicate fault. But hit and run does indicate a failure to remain on the scene and render aide. What should be the penalty for that? I think it should automatically be classified as a felony, as it is a act of violence, regardless of the circumstances of the crash. However, legislation to crack down on traffic violence in the legislature has been killed, or watered down, or vetoed by the governor. Legislators are as reluctant to hold drivers accountable as law enforcement and judges. It will probably be a long time before hit and run drivers suffer any higher level of imprisonment or fine.

So I’d like to suggest a consequence that does not involve a violation of CVC or driver points. Anyone convicted of hit and run would:

  • Have their vehicle confiscated. This is not impoundment, under which the driver would get their vehicle back eventually, but confiscation in which the vehicle is sold and money goes into a fund for street safety. Confiscation is important, because the sort of driver who will leave the scene of a crash is the sort of driver who will continue to drive so long as they have a vehicle.
  • Have their drivers license suspended for 10 years. Longer if there are additional circumstances such as DUI. Yes, this would be an immense burden on people who live in low density places, or live far from where they work, or drive as part of their work. That is exactly the point, to create a consequence that will impel most drivers to remain on the scene as the law requires.

Both of these actions would cause most drivers, except the ones who intentionally cause crashes, to remain at the scene. It does not mean that they caused the crash, that is a separate issue for a separate court case. It does mean that they followed the law. For those who hit and run, I have absolutely no sympathy. These are not only criminals, they are sociopaths.

end of my driving

Dan AllisonLeave a comment

This I got cataract surgery this spring. The most noticeable difference is how I see color, as my cataracts were very brown. It is amazing how bright colors are now. My vision had deteriorated to the point where I could not have passed the drivers license vision test, and even after the surgery, probably could not have until I got new eyeglasses. So my drivers license, which required in-person renewal with vision test due to my age (74) expired. I had been pondering whether to renew my license. I last drove in 2020, as part of work, before retiring. Though I appreciated the possibility of driving, ‘just in case’, I didn’t think it likely that I would. I hate cars, and don’t even like being in them, let alone driving them.

So, expired license. What to do? Well, I had no identification for a while, and in fact got challenged about that once. I was staying a place that would not accept my expired license, though expiration really has nothing to do with identification, and would not accept my passport as identification, even though it is a legal form of identification. Grrr. It took quite a while to get this straightened out.

So, I went to DMV, and got an ID, rather than drivers license. No vision test required. And no more driving.

How do I feel about this? Great! I am happy to be done with that part of my life. Free of the expense of driving (my ID was free). Free of participation in the culture of car dominance. Free! Of course not owning a car since 2011 was one of the best decisions I ever made in my life, financially, morally, environmentally. This is just the next step, logical step, to really being free.

Though I’m not generally in favor of hard rules, such as making people give up drivers licenses at a certain age, I do think that there are way too many old people still driving who should not be driving. At the same time, there are many, many people of all ages who should not be driving. The sociopathic and moral failings of privilege, impatience, and “I’m a much better driver than others” should have no place.

crossing guard for DMV on 24th

Dan Allison1 Comment

crossing guard for DMV on 24th Street
crossing guard for DMV on 24th Street

The California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) has facilities on both side of 24th Street to the south of Broadway. Employees must go back and forth between the two facilities, but DMV does not think that it is safe for their employees to use the mid-block crosswalk without the extra protection of a crossing guard.

What are they being protected against? Well, drivers that have been licensed by DMV. Drivers who either do not know the law on yielding to pedestrians in crosswalks, or who choose not to follow it. Drivers who are distracted by cell phones. Drivers who drive over the speed limit. Drivers who are inattentive to their surroundings. You would think that maybe this hazard would cause DMV to reconsider their lackadaisical method of licensing motor vehicle drivers. Maybe drivers should be relicensed on a regular basis instead of receiving what is essentially a life-time license. Maybe drivers should have to demonstrate safe driving skills, knowledge of the law, and pro-social attitudes. Maybe. But DMV doesn’t seem interested in improving the safety of all roadways, but would rather solve a specific problem by using a crossing guard.

Another issue is that the street has been striped with a wide median in the center (not a physical median) to provide a place for the R1-6 Yield to Pedestrian signs and a refuge for pedestrians and the crossing guard. Normally this would be a good thing, but the wide painted median pushed the travel lanes to the side and pinches out the shoulder that is used by bicyclists. So in making things safer for pedestrians, the city has made things less safe for bicyclists. An appropriate trade-off if it were the only choice, but it is not the only choice. There is no logical reason for this section of 24th Street to be four lanes. To the north, it is two lanes, to the south it is two lanes. So the obvious solution is to road-diet the street so that it is two lanes or two lanes plus a center turn lane, if necessary and appropriate. The rest of the road width can be used for wide bicycle lanes.