Escalating Hit-and-Run Crashes: A Growing Menace to Pedestrian Safety

In the year 2019, pedestrians bore a grim burden, accounting for approximately 17% of all motor vehicle crash fatalities, with a chilling 21% of these pedestrian deaths unfolding in the shadows of hit-and-run accidents (IIHS, 2021). These harrowing statistics signify a pressing concern demanding urgent attention.

Recent analysis has unveiled disconcerting surges in both the rates of hit-and-run crashes and the resultant fatalities. The year 2015 witnessed a staggering estimated 737,100 hit-and-run crashes (NHTSA, 2016), translating to a hit-and-run incident transpiring somewhere in the United States every 43 seconds. The apocalyptic zenith was reached in 2016 when 2,049 fatalities resulted from hit-and-run crashes, marking the highest toll ever recorded (NHTSA, 2017).

Understanding Hit-and-Run Crashes: Hit-and-run collisions are characterized by at least one party involved in a crash fleeing the scene without rendering essential information, aid, or fulfilling the duty to report the incident accurately. These incidents not only contribute to the suffering, social distress, and economic burdens typical of injury crashes but also exacerbate outcomes due to delays in, or the complete absence of, medical attention for the victims. Moreover, these hit-and-run violations, deemed as criminal offenses, heap additional burdens upon law enforcement agencies and families seeking justice, medical care, and insurance support.

In 2016, a grim record was etched with 1,980 fatal hit-and-run crashes, resulting in 2,049 fatalities. This marked the highest annual number of hit-and-run fatalities or crashes recorded since NHTSA began chronicling statistics on fatal motor vehicle crashes in 1975. Of these, 1,398 crashes entailed non-vehicle occupants, particularly pedestrians and bicyclists. Figure 1 maps the number of individuals perishing in hit-and-run crashes, distinguishing victim types between motor vehicle occupants and non-occupants. A more detailed breakdown of victim types can be found in Table A1 in the Appendix. The number of hit-and-run fatalities has been mounting at an average rate of 7.2% per year since 2009, with a substantial portion of this surge occurring in fatal crashes involving non-vehicle occupants, predominantly pedestrians.