Editorial: New alert law is a worthy pursuit
In this July 2014 file photo, California Assemblyman Mike Gatto speaks at a press conference introducing Assembly Bill 47 and Assembly Bill 1532 which enforces broader and stiffer hit-and-run laws in California in front of Los Angeles City Hall. Gov. Jerry Brown this week signed Assembly Bill 8 into law. Starting in January, local law enforcement agencies will be able to tap into the state’s existing network of digital freeway signs to push out information — only when enough is available — about suspected hit-and-run vehicles and drivers when the collision results in a fatality or serious bodily injury.
Gov. Jerry Brown this week signed into law AB 8, a bill written by local Assemblyman Mike Gatto that will allow information to be posted on computerized freeway signs about suspected hit-and-run vehicles and their drivers when a collision causes a fatality or serious bodily injury. It’s a common-sense piece of legislation that should be especially welcome in cities like Glendale and, to a lesser degree, Burbank, where people are felled all too frequently by drivers who panic and flee the scene.
Gatto (D-Glendale), who has been working on getting such a bill passed for a long time, stated that his bill is “as much about preventing hit-and-runs as it is about solving them,” his theory being that if drivers are aware such broadcasts are used to catch hit-and-run offenders, they might think twice about leaving the scene of any such accident they’re involved in. This, in turn, could save lives because the driver involved, assuming he or she stayed at the scene, would be able to call an ambulance to assist the injured parties.
The governor previously was not on board with AB 8, echoing concerns of the California Highway Patrol, which maintained that if enacted, the law might dilute the efficacy of the AMBER alert system, designed to help bring home children 17 or younger who have been kidnapped and are in imminent danger. There’s also a Silver alert, relating to people 65 and older who have been reported missing and a Blue alert to be used when there’s been an attack on a law enforcement officer. We can appreciate their earlier worries regarding the potential for too many messages going out at one time, but agree that Gatto’s approach, which calls for the broadcasts to be made only along freeways near where the collisions occur, mitigates those concerns. The governor has obviously had a change of heart and the new law will become effective in January.
As of the end of last month, a disgraceful number of hit-and-run incidents — 565 — had been reported in Glendale so far this year. Of those, only 33 of the drivers involved in those accidents have been apprehended. In 2014, Glendale saw 732 hit-and-run accidents, for which just 29 drivers were arrested. This means there are people still on the road, driving alongside the rest of us, who have killed or seriously injured others and have so far gotten away with it. Any effort that can curb hit-and-run incidents and get these unconscionable drivers off the road is well worth it.