The how & the why of hit-and-run drivers

Air Date: November 7, 2011

A surveillance camera caught a man, up-ended, in the lower right corner of the frame just as a car hits him on May 30, 2008 in Hartford, Conn. The 78-year-old man was tossed like a rag doll by a hit-and-run driver, and car after car zoomed by as he laid motionless on the busy city street. (AP Photo/Hartford Police Dept.)

Hour 1

Sometimes, it’s because they’re drunk or high. Sometimes it’s because they’re uninsured or unlicensed. But why – how – a driver could flee the scene of an accident – hit and run – is still largely a mystery in most cases, as vast numbers of hit-and-run drivers speed off, leaving wounded, maimed and in hundreds of cases each year in the U.S., dead people in their wake. The law attempts to deter through increased penalties, but do they work? And if not, what could work to compel more drivers to take responsibility – perhaps even help their victims – after a traffic accident? We explore these questions with BRIAN HICKEY, a WHYY NewsWorks editor and longtime local reporter who survived a gruesome hit-and-run in November 2008 and has kept diligent track of hit-and-runs ever since his inspiring recovery. We’ll also talk with JIM LARDEAR, director of Public and Government Affairs for AAA Mid-Atlantic, who has worked on policies to deter hit-and-run incidents in several states.

Listen to the mp3

Listen:
[audio: 110711_100630.mp3]

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