One of the ways the state of California hoped to discourage drunk driving is by impounding the vehicles of DUI offenders and imposing a financial burden when a suspect gets his or her vehicle out of impound. If you are stopped for suspicion of DUI, and you’ve had a DUI conviction during the previous ten years, police officers can confiscate your vehicle. The problem is that police departments aren’t following through.
KCRA-TV found that police agencies in Stockton, Roseville, and Folsom have not impounded a single car in the last four years. KCRA also asked police departments for figures about how many repeat DUI offenders qualified for impound. The Roseville Police Department reported that officers had arrested twenty such drivers in the last four years. None had their cars impounded. Other agencies claimed they did not have the statistics available. The Stockton Police Department told KCRA that, “Officers do not typically know about prior DUI arrests or other criminal histories when making decisions about whether to impound a vehicle.”
The law specifies that an officer “may” tow the car; he or she can choose to impound a vehicle or not. Impounding cars to make southern California streets safer is the right thing to do, but the law will never keep every drunk driver off the road or eliminate every DUI collision. Victims who are injured due to a drunk driver’s negligent behavior can seek financial compensation for their injury. If you are such a victim in southern California, contact an experienced Los Angeles personal injury attorney immediately. A good personal injury lawyer may help you recover compensation for your medical expenses, lost wages, and more. Get the help you need and protect yourself if you’re injured – now or in the future – by an impaired driver, and call an experienced Los Angeles personal injury attorney right away.