Hit and run criminals need to be locked up.

[Quickie]

Hit and runs increase as our morals decrease.


Hit-run deaths see 20% increase - USATODAY.com


http://www.deadlyroads.com/media.html

[metron]

Its probably more directly related to smartphones than the overall moral barometer of our society. But yes they should be locked up. Cuz they broke the law.

[Webtroll]

Anyone remember a few years back when that woman hit that homeless man crossing a street near her house and he ended up with his head stuck through her windshield but alice, and then rather than call the authorities she drove home like that and hid it in her garage? I think he took a couple of days to die or something like that but it's been a while since I read the story. I understand people being distracted and getting into accidents that they are completely responsible for, but their actions after the fact are what defines them as far as I'm concerned.

On the other side of the coin a guy hit a young girl in a parking lot here in Austin, and when he and his passnger got out his passenger was grabbed by bystanders and beaten to death while the driver ran away. To make this one worse the girl wasn't hurt much and was appearantly to blame for the accident in the first place.

People suck all over.

[Phalex]

There's been a whole lot of hit and runs around here the past few years. Joggers, Bicyclists, mopeds, and motorists trying to fix mechanical problems seem to be quite vulnerable.

There was an accident that actually wasn't a hit and run last month that ended quite horribly as well. A little kid ran out into the road from between 2 parked cars, and got hit. The driver pulled over, and the kids step father stabbed the driver in the chest with a hunting knife. The kid died, the driver survived, and the step dad is awaiting trial.

[jmattbassplaya]

"...But in many others, drivers have done nothing wrong until they flee, says Michael Payne, a Fort Myers, Fla., investigator.
"Quite often, it's simply an accident," he says. "But people get scared." "

I really think this is a side effect of us becoming the sue-happy nation that we are today. People don't want to get in trouble over an accident, and rarely do accidents go unpunished in today's society.

*edit* Wow, people are getting stabbed/beaten to death over accidents? I was just thinking of them being throw in jail. People are sick

[Webtroll]

Originally Posted by Quickie

But much more in Texas, Ca and Arizona it seems.

heh yeah

wait a moment!

[Pilgrim]

People who hit and run should lose their license...for at least 5 years, better 10.

Same for drunk drivers.

I know it's extreme, but I've heard that some Scandinavian countries yank your license for life with one drunk driving conviction. NO ONE drives drunk.

I know, they can't get to work, can't do this and that, but...if you can't do the time, don't do the crime. Many of the hit and runs are drunk, so they flee for two reasons. Alcohol is the most dangerous, abused drug in our society.

[sandmangeck]

Alot more hit and runs, and alot more idiots walking with kids in the streets.

[Webtroll]

Originally Posted by Pilgrim

People who hit and run should lose their license...for at least 5 years, better 10.

Same for drunk drivers.

I know it's extreme, but I've heard that some Scandinavian countries yank your license for life with one drunk driving conviction. NO ONE drives drunk.

I know, they can't get to work, can't do this and that, but...if you can't do the time, don't do the crime. Many of the hit and runs are drunk, so they flee for two reasons. Alcohol is the most dangerous, abused drug in our society.

i doubt zero tolerance lifetime bans will ever fly in the U.S. where everyone is a precious snowflake. on the other hand i get angry inside whenever i read about a drunk driver killing someone when they've had multiple previous arrests for the same thing. seems to me if you have previous convictions for drunk driving and kill someone while drunk they ought to be able to lock you up for life with no parole. it's a problem? addiction? fine, but you won't be driving drunk again from your cell.

seriously, what kind of person gets a drunk driving conviction and thinks it's a good idea to drive someplace to get plastered again? idiots who don't belong behind a steering wheel.

dumb all over, yes we are

[MatticusMania]

Lets take hit & run drivers and put them into some soort of demolition derby!

Many will enter, but only one will exit the Thunderdome!

Winner gets to keep his license.

[spade2you]

Originally Posted by metron

Its probably more directly related to smartphones than the overall moral barometer of our society. But yes they should be locked up. Cuz they broke the law.

Easy to point the finger at smart phones, which are at least partially responsible, but the "n run" part is simply because folks can't accept responsibility any more.

[jmattbassplaya]

Originally Posted by MatticusMania

Lets take hit & run drivers and put them into some soort of demolition derby!

Many will enter, but only one will exit the Thunderdome!

Winner gets to keep his license.

Shoot. I'd do that just for fun

[PerlNinja]

Hit and run accidents are common down here (Indonesia); mostly because if you manage to clip a motorcyclist off his bike (even if it was his fault), the chances of getting a mob of bystanders dancing a tango on your face is quite high; especially if it's a fatal accident.

[Infidelity]

In South Florida they didn't even know if they hit something..

[brianrost]

One day earlier this year I had a woman hit my car and drive off so I called the police. It was Sunday in a small town so the only officer on duty was out on another call and the dispatcher told me to just come by the station and file a complaint.

Then she drove back to the scene! When she got out of her car I asked her why she had taken off, she denied hitting me and insisted I was trying to get insurance money out of her.

So I go file a complaint at the police station and they tell me they can't do anything because she did come back and I was able to get her license and insurance info, even if she would not admit to hitting my car (my insurance company did charge hers for the damage).

When I asked whether hit and run was still a crime I was told yes but any judge would throw out the case because she had returned to the scene.

Just goes to show how little the law has to do with actual justice sometimes. Would they have acted any differently if I had been injured in the crash?

[spade2you]

Originally Posted by Infidelity

In South Florida they didn't even know if they hit something..

I noticed. I was down there for a vacation and some old person in a giant car was weaving in and out of the bike lane. Good thing there weren't any cyclists in the lane at the time.

[Infidelity]

Originally Posted by spade2you

I noticed. I was down there for a vacation and some old person in a giant car was weaving in and out of the bike lane. Good thing there weren't any cyclists in the lane at the time.

I've seen worst..lol

Check this out!

http://autos.yahoo.com/news/15-dange...r-driving.html

[Pilgrim]

Originally Posted by Webtroll

i doubt zero tolerance lifetime bans will ever fly in the U.S. where everyone is a precious snowflake. on the other hand i get angry inside whenever i read about a drunk driver killing someone when they've had multiple previous arrests for the same thing.

I have mixed feelings about this.

EVERY "zero tolerance" law or policy I have read about is almost immediately revealed to be stupid and inappropriate. In EVERY case, within a short time there occurs a case where human discretion and judgment indicate that the person caught up in the zero tolerance situation should not bear the penalty.

A kid accidentally brings a long-forgotten 1" jacknife to school buried in the bottom of a backpack and is kicked out of school. An ROTC student leaves a wood mock-up of a rifle covered in duct tape on the floor of her car and is kicked out of school under a weapons policy (yes, this happened). It's all stupid, and no one in their right mind would enforce such zero tolerance policies.

Therefore, as much as I would sometimes like to be a knee-jerk reactionary at times, I can't support any zero-tolerance laws.

The world is not simple. People's behavior is not simple. There are too many variations in circumstance for zero tolerance.

[Webtroll]

Originally Posted by Pilgrim

no one in their right mind would enforce such zero tolerance policies

i take back what i said. if zero tolerance laws are that dumb i don't understand why we don't have more of them.

i hate lawyers