In Kent, Sergeant Jason Bishop sees a link between the staffing crunch and the increased number of traffic crimes and infractions, including hit-and-runs, he’s observed during his time as head of the city’s traffic division.
“Enforcement is what ends up taking the brunt of it,” said Bishop. “And if there’s no enforcement, then when the cat’s away the mice will play.”
To help find or at least track fleeing drivers, Bishop wants to see traffic enforcement camera video become available to officers.
“Right now, we’re really limited as to what we can do with speed cameras and red-light cameras,” Bishop said. “If one of them captures a hit-and-run, we’re actually not allowed to use that video for the crime of hit-and-run.” State law prohibits footage from being used in court for violations other than the ones the camera is tracking.
Barb Chamberlain thinks tougher penalties might stop drivers from fleeing collisions. Chamberlain is director of WSDOT’s Active Transportation Division and a member of the Cooper Jones Active Transportation Safety Council, named in honor of a Spokane teenager who was killed while riding his bike.
“If you want to get away with murder, use a vehicle, which is sort of a facetious statement, but at the same time, our penalties for what happens if you seriously injure or kill somebody with a car are less than so many other things,” Chamberlain said. “I would have more consequences for using a baseball bat than to do what a car does to somebody.”
But that must be balanced with the recognition that fines and penalties will affect poor people disproportionately, Chamberlain said: “Hammers hit some people harder than others.”
Sentences for hit-and-runs vary depending on many factors including past convictions, according to Casey McNerthney, spokesperson for the King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office.
For someone with no previous felony history, general sentencing guidelines set by state lawmakers for a hit-and-run that results in a death is 31-41 months. That’s lower than the guidelines for a conviction of manslaughter in the first degree or a vehicular homicide in which the driver was under the influence of alcohol or drugs or driving in a reckless manner, both which carry a 78-102 month sentence, according to McNerthney.
A cultural shift in regard to traffic safety is also needed, Chamberlain added, along with changing road design to separate bike and pedestrian paths to remove the possibility of vehicles hitting people walking or rolling.
“Are you paying attention to other people, not just yourself?” she said. “What do we say about what matters — is what matters is getting someplace faster? What matters is not killing people.”
This session, the Washington State Legislature has considered a suite of transportation bills aimed at making Washington roads safer, including banning right turns on red lights in areas with lots of pedestrians and bikers, dropping the blood-alcohol limit, and requiring people 25 or younger to complete a driver’s education class before getting a license. None of these proposals directly address hit-and-runs. Only the bill expanding driver’s education requirements remains alive in the Legislature halfway through the session.
Claudia Mason has used her platform to urge drivers to slow down and to advocate for safer streets for people walking and rolling. She’s all too familiar with what it’s like to be struck by a fleeing driver while on a bike: She was knocked unconscious outside Nordstrom in downtown Seattle a few years ago. As her senses returned, she woke up surrounded by concerned passersby who had called 911 to get help and report the fleeing car.
“It’s kind of normal. It’s really sad, but it’s pathetic. But somehow the cars seemed to think that it’s OK,” Mason said. “Especially if they didn’t kill you.”
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Fatal hit-and-runs in Seattle leave lasting damage, few consequences - Crosscut
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