New Colorado law aims to stop hit-and-run drivers

A new law is enforcing quicker punishment for drivers who leave the scene of an accident.

“Hit and runs are such a huge problem in Pueblo,” Sgt. Howard Jackson with the Pueblo Police Department said.

Last year in Pueblo there were 936, and in 2016 there were 1039 hit-and-run accidents. Jackson credit’s the roughly 10 percent decline to the increase in Pueblo police officers towing driver’s cars if they don’t have proof of insurance

As for looking to 2018, a new state law is making punishment a little swifter for drivers who leave the scene of an accident that results in serious bodily injuries or death. Once police identify who exactly was behind the wheel, they’ll be able to suspend their license immediately.

“I don’t think it’s going to have a huge impact,” Jackson said.

Jackson said while the law is a good start, many hit-and-run accidents in the city don’t cause that kind of damage.

“If they were to expand the law so that you could revoke a person’s driver’s license simply for the hit-and-run, I think it would go much, much farther,” Jackson said.