Two unlicensed drivers collided on Junius at N. Van Buren St. at approximately 5 p.m. today.
According to traffic investigators with the San Angelo police, an older model Ford pickup was eastbound on Junius St. as a black Mazda coupe was attempting to make a left hand turn southbound onto Van Buren. The truck collided with the Mazda.
The Mazda still had dealer plates. Inside the F-150 were two kids and the driver. None were seriously injured, although police confirmed that one of the children was bleeding from his nose. The Mazda was occupied by only the driver. All declined medical treatment at the scene.
As police were cleaning the scene, both drivers indicated their preference to drive their vehicles from the scene instead of using the services of a wrecker from Home Motors. The front bumper of the F-150 had to be pulled off and the driver of the Mazda was seen popping the airbags to ready their vehicles for travel.
Police cited both drivers for driving without a valid license. The Mazda driver was also cited for failure to yield the right-of-way.
We did not confirm who was actually driving either vehicle as those involved in the crash left the scene.
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Comments
Joe, do some investigative reporting about how many people in SA have their driver's license suspended in a given year, why they were suspended, etc...Do you agree with taking licenses away for charges not related to operating a motor vehicle? Every week I see a bunch of folks losing their license for misdemeanor pot charges, etc... Whose brilliant idea was this? Is this statewide or just for the rubes in San Angelo? Do they realize that suspending licenses, especially as punishment for other charges, disproportionately impacts the poor? They can't afford a lawyer to help keep their license. They need their car to get back & forth to work, taking kids to school, on & on. Then when they get caught DWLS, it just keeps them in the system longer & adds on more fines and fees to the people least able to afford it. Did you read The Ferguson Report? Have you seen how many cities across the country rely on fines & fees to balance their budgets every year? We need to get unlicensed & uninsured drivers off the road, but I guarantee most people don't think about what causes this problem in the first place.
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PermalinkI fully agree with you with Mr Hyde getting facts right... But to let you know the good citizens of San Angelo have the ability to get a work only drivers license for the reason to get back and forth to work ... and can get it on most cases but are to lazy or dont know to get one ..... if not what about thunderbird or transa public transportation ..... or bike or walk ...... but there are choices in the matter
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PermalinkI believe that when the police stop a vehicle, or are called to an accident, where the driver does not have a valid license and/or proper insurance, the vehicle needs impounded. They should not then be allowed to drive off among the folks obeying the law. I get tired of people using the defense of "this punishes the poor" when the whole point of laws is to protect everyone. Personal responsibility should not be waved because of your status in society. The defense of "it punishes the poor" is as bad as getting by with something "because of who you know".
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PermalinkThere has to be something that can be done. I am a single mom that pays $301.00 a month for home and auto.. I surely do not have the money to pay for the actions of an uninsured motorist!! The law is the law!!! And sorry but.. marijuana is an illegal drug!! If people would abide by the law, they wouldnt have a problem. Your not that "poor" if you have the money to buy drugs.. heck buy insurance and we will all be better off!!
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Permalink#1) I never said to give the poor a special break. I said the way the criminal justice system works, from the street cop, to the prosecutor, is weighted against the poor. If you have money, you can keep your license, even after a DUI. If you have money, your attorney can work out a deal. The poor have to take whatever the prosecutor offers.
#2) Your typical "law & order" stance still doesn't explain how the community benefits from taking driver licenses away from people for misdemeanors that do not involve operating a motor vehicle, neither a moving violation nor a DUI. Pure & simple, it's income generation for the city/state, mostly on the backs of people least able to afford it.
I'm not saying any of that applies to the case here. Just stating facts.
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PermalinkI agree that drivers licenses should not be suspended due to non related misdemeanor charges.
I was commenting on being ticketed for not having insurance and/or a drivers license yet being allowed to drive off in the vehicle. The vehicle should be impounded
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