Auditor: $31.2M In Taxpayer Funds Spent To Settle Claims After City Vehicle Accidents

By Editor, Times of San Diego

April 18, 2023

The city of San Diego paid $31.2 million over a five-year period to settle claims stemming from accidents involving city-owned vehicles, according to an audit released Monday.

More than half that total, though, came from one accident, in which a police officer struck a motorcyclist, leaving her severely injured.

Monday’s report, by the office led by City Auditor Andy Hanau, concluded that the city “should take additional steps to increase accountability when city staff are determined to be at fault in vehicle accidents.”

The report referenced accidents that occurred between July 2016 and June 2021, including the 2019 crash that resulted in a $16-million payout to the motorcyclist.

Of the 2,853 accidents that were investigated, 1,458 of them were determined to be preventable, the auditor’s report stated.

Nearly all of the preventable accidents involved six city departments: police, public utilities, fire-rescue, transportation and stormwater, parks and recreation and environmental services.

Among the City Auditor’s recommendations – officials should regularly review city-vehicle data that measures speed, braking and seatbelt use. The report stated that city supervisors rarely conduct such reviews, though they are required by city policy, and that “there is no citywide process in place” to ensure that they do.

The report also stated that new employees are not trained on all city driving policies and that in 39 cases, accident investigations involving city vehicles were never completed during the five-year period examined by the auditor.

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