Make Queens Safer would like to offer the following statement in support of Int No. 371, new legislation proposed in the City Council to impose new civil penalties on hit-and-run drivers:

It is our hope that Vision Zero could equate to zero fatalities due to hit and run drivers. Those who lack the moral compass, compassion, and civic responsibility to stay on the scene of a traffic incident should certainly pay a civil penalty.

We need legislation from Albany to keep dangerous drivers off our streets, and even from returning to our streets, as we’ve seen in detail in the last year. While we wait and advocate for that, we recognize that Council Member Van Bramer’s legislation, when enacted, will encourage drivers to stay on the scene of a crash and live up to their full responsibilities as licensed drivers in New York State.

A hit and run driver possibly denies an innocent victim access to urgent medical care, by fleeing the scene; no family should suffer such a fate.

We strongly encourage those who represent us in City Council to enact Int. No.371 without delay.