Steve B.

The women in Michagen who mowed down and killed 2 cyclist on a charity ride has been sentenced to 70 years in prison.

https://news.yahoo.com/woman-gets-70...202452873.html

50PlusCycling

It appears she had a previous DUI, had a suspended license, and the usual unregistered/uninsured nonsense. There are far too many such people on the roads in America.

indyfabz

Philly cracked down on that back in the ‘00s. when it was estimated that over half of the vehicles registered in the city were uninsured. The city instituted a program called “Live Stop.” If you got stopped for a traffic violation and could not produce proof of insurance and registration on the spot, your car was immediately impounded, and you were given a yellow flyer with public transportation directions to the impound lot. If you got stopped on an expressway, the police would transport you to a safe location.

I was sitting outside at a restaurant and saw it happen. Pretty satisfying.

50PlusCycling

This was generally the policy throughout America. But over the last few years some municipalities have passed ordinances prohibiting the police stopping cars with expired license plates, or even no license plates at all. This was done out of what was called “fairness” to people who couldn’t afford to register their vehicles. But it’s not at all fair to people who are injured or killed by these drivers. These same municipalities no longer allow police to arrest people who drive with suspended licenses.

I have to scratch my head at the logic being exercised by city and state governments around America in recent years. The only option law-abiding people have is to pay for insurance to protect them from the consequences of being injured or killed by drivers whom the state refuses to take off the road. That is incredibly unfair.

My own brother was hit and killed by an unlicensed and uninsured driver who was driving a car with a fake temporary license plate. And this was in the days when the state aggressively prosecuted such people when they found them. How many more of these people are on the roads when there is no real penalty for driving unlicensed and uninsured?

indyfabz

Don't get me started on our D.A.'s announcement a few years ago that police would no longer pull over people for minor traffic violations or prosecute retail theft under $500. Hopefully, things will change starting in January.

I-Like-To-Bike

Does Philadelphia still enforce the "Live Stop" program? When did it stop and had the so-called "estimates" of uninsured vehicles registered in the city ever indicate any progress?

If a driver is stopped under the current DA's policy of tolerance for the "victims" of law enforcement, does failure to produce proof of insurance and registration on the spot result in any consequences for the driver?

50PlusCycling

In my experience in law enforcement, most people arrested for outstanding arrest warrants are found during traffic stops. Not allowing police to stop people for minor traffic violations has several consequences, it allows fugitives to evade arrest (and commit more crimes), it makes the roads unsafe, and the city loses revenue from traffic citations. In a large city, traffic violations like running stop signs or speeding provide millions of dollars in revenue each year, not to mention what it collects in fines from prosecuting retail theft. Philadelphia is currently facing a deficit of around half a billion dollars. There is absolutely no benefit in not stopping and citing people for minor traffic infractions, or not prosecuting retail theft regardless of how little the amount.

SoSmellyAir

Sorry, Steve B. While I agree with the strong(er) message conveyed by the long sentence, justice is not served until and unless the families are also fully compensated for the loss of financial support and the loss of companionship.

Here in California -- the fifth largest economy in the world -- one is practically uninsured even if one complies with the minimum financial responsibility law, which only requires liability coverage of $35,000.

Law section (ca.gov)

Geez, some BF members have spent that much on cycling.

indyfabz

Heh. I occasionally watch a snow here called "On Patrol Live." It's basically a reality show that follows police in various counties in the U.S. Not an episode goes by without at least one person being arrested for an outstanding warrant (or warrants) after a stop for a minor traffic violation.