Hit and run crashes are some of the most difficult to solve, especially when the victim is a person riding a bike or walking. Over the years, Bicycle Colorado and other partner groups have supported new laws to help address this terrible crime. On Tuesday, Governor Hickenlooper signed the latest effort, State House Bill 1191, titled The Medina Alert Program, into law.

The effort was championed by bill sponsors Rep. Kathleen Conti and Sen. Steve King. It is named after hit and run victim Jose Medina, who was killed by a hit and run driver in 2011. Colorado becomes one of the first states in the nation to adopt this program.

The Medina Program allows law enforcement to alert media and use the state’s electronic roadway signs to ask the public for help locating a hit and run suspect if a person has been killed or suffered serious bodily injury.

The program was developed in the city and county of Denver and last year expanded into Aurora, with more cities planning to connect to the new state program. We hope to raise awareness that people involved in a traffic crash must stop at the scene.

Last year we worked with Rep. Conti to close the Hit and Run Loophole that now increases the potential penalties for leaving the scene of a crash where someone was killed or seriously injured.