To Avert Hit-Runs, Police Impounding Unregistered Cars

The Los Angeles Police Department, responding to an increase in hit-and-run traffic accidents, has created a San Fernando Valley task force to find and tow cars that have been unregistered longer than a year.

Although a similar program in Central Los Angeles did not reduce the problem there, police believe that drivers with unregistered cars or without valid licenses are the most likely to leave the scene of an accident.

Hit-and-run accidents in the Valley increased to 7,401 last year, a 10.7% rise from 1985, said Capt. Scott LaChasse, commander of Valley Traffic Division. “Somebody involved in a hit and run is going to run for a reason,” LaChasse said. “They don’t want to pay the penalty” for failure to comply with licensing laws, he said.

Ordinarily, police who encounter unregistered cars can impound them--or merely give the driver a citation. The task force, however, will aggressively seek out drivers without valid licenses and impound cars that have been unregistered for more than a year.

The task force began its work Thursday night by impounding 54 cars in North Hollywood. It will operate once a week for at least the next two months, Lt. Alan Kerstein said.

The eight officers, who are paid from the $4.3-million fund approved last month by the City Council for police overtime, will ticket unlicensed drivers and arrest those driving on suspended or revoked licenses, Kerstein said.

No arrests were made Thursday.

The increase last year in hit-and-run accidents included a 21% rise in the number of felony accidents, those which resulted in injury or death, LaChasse said. In 1985, the overall hit-and-run total increased by about 10%, with a 9% increase in felonies. The increase in 1984 was only about 2%, he said.

Only about half of the felony hit-and-run cases are ever solved, he said.

Similar increases have occurred citywide, and the Central Traffic Division began a similar impoundment program last year, Officer James Cavanaugh said. Although police expected the program to reduce the rate of hit-and-run accidents, it did not, he said.

Nonetheless, police in the Valley decided to try a pilot program because the lack of registration and licensing was so strongly suspected as the reason why hit-and-run drivers leave accident scenes, LaChasse said.

On Thursday night in North Hollywood, officers found one unregistered car after another. In the 6100 block of Whitsett Avenue, an officer found one car as his partner, who was waiting for a second unregistered vehicle to be towed from a nearby side street, came across yet a third one.

To recover an impounded car, the owner must bring the registration up to date and pay a $51.50 towing fee and storage charge of $8.50 a day, Kerstein said. Towed cars are subject to sale by the tow yard if not claimed within 30 days, he said.

Several blocks from Whitsett Avenue on Thursday, police had Martin Ruvalcava pull over to the curb near his home after they saw him drive too close to a pedestrian.

Ruvalcava, who was ticketed for not having a valid driver’s license, said he had been driving for two years without one.

“I knew they were going to catch me,” said Ruvalcava, 20. “I was lazy, that’s all.”