Stockton Police Respond To 10 Hit-And-Run Crashes A Day

STOCKTON (CBS13) — Stockton is dealing with a big issue, drivers crashing into people and things, then leaving the scene. The police department said it deals with 10 hit-and-runs a day.

Stockton police say it's an alarming number prompting them to take action. They said the hit-and-run collisions range from drivers hitting people, property, as well as parked and moving cars.

The most common scenario, they said, is drivers striking pedestrians and bicyclists, causing injury.

Police spokesperson Joe Silva explained what is contributing to the high number of hit-and-run collisions.

"A lot of people are scared when they're involved in these type of collisions. They don't know what to do so instead of just staying there, they'll leave and if they would just stay there, and if they don't have their insurance, all they're going to do is receive a citation, they might get their vehicles impounded for a couple days."

If drivers leave the scene, police say they are committing a serious crime that could have severe penalties especially if someone is injured.

To put Stockton's numbers into perspective, Modesto says it averages one to two hit-and-runs a day, Manteca sees about one a day, and Lodi says it sees less than one a day.