Proposed 'Yellow Alert' to catch hit-run drivers

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- A memorial remains at the intersection where 83-year-old Asghar Abbassi was killed by a hit-and-run driver nearly a year ago. The driver was never caught.

More than 100 fatal or severe hit-and-run accidents occur in Los Angeles every year, officials say. Only about 20 percent of offenders are ever caught, State Assemblyman Mike Gatto said.

That's why Gatto is proposing legislation that would use a "yellow alert" emergency system - similar to the Amber Alerts shown on highway signs during child abductions - to help catch hit-and-run drivers.

Gatto believes enlisting the public's help will enable police to track down drivers before they can get away or are able to cover up the evidence.

But some say the alerts could cause other problems.

"It's a distraction. It's a good to have these things out there for people like myself that do a lot of driving, but at the same time it's a distraction," said Darrell Ickes of Reseda.

Last month, the Los Angeles City Council voted in favor of a resolution to back Gatto's bill.