AAA study studies hit-and-runs and provides guidance for reducing
Hit-and-run crashes have been increasing since 2010 but significantly spiked after the pandemic, with more than 900,000 police-reported crashes in 2023, according to a AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety (FTS) study.
Researchers reviewed data from the national database, beginning with 1975 (the first recorded data), to 2023 (the most recent available data) to understand trends in hit-and-runs.
The study found that traffic fatalities from hit-and-run crashes began spiking in 2020. It reached an all-time high of 2,972 fatalities (7% of all traffic facilities) in 2022. The number of deaths fell to 2,872 deaths in 2023 but hit-and-runs continued to make-up 7% of all vehicle collision fatalities.
About 1 in 10 injuries of people inside of vehicles occurs in hit-and-run crashes, the study says. This resulted in 200,000 vehicle occupant injuries in 2023. About 1 in 5 cyclists injuries and 1 in 4 pedestrian injuries in 2023 occurred in a hit-and-run.
“When looking at people killed in hit-and-run crashes, the disproportionate impact on vulnerable road users was even more extreme: more than 70% of people killed in hit-and-run crashes were pedestrians and bicyclists.” the study says. “Nearly 80% of all hit-and-run fatalities occurred in darkness. The proportion of fatalities that occurred in hit-and-run crashes was highest in the largest cities, decreased with city size, and was by far the lowest in rural areas.”
The study examined common measures of community and social and economic vulnerability and found that ZIP codes comprising the most vulnerable 20% of the U.S. population had more than three times as many hit-and-run fatalities as the middle 20% and more than six times as many as the least vulnerable 20%.
Of those who let the scene of a fatal crash and were eventually caught, less than half of all hit-and-run drivers, the majority were young males who crashed within a short distance of their home ZIP code. Two in five lacked a valid license and more than half were driving vehicles they personally did not own.
The report found that reducing hit-and-run crashes requires a multi-pronged approach.
It notes that measures that automatically alert authorities in the event of a crash may help improve outcomes for victims in the event of a hit-and-run crash, especially for collisions that happen at night or in remote areas where they may not be witnesses who call authorities promptly.
It gives an example of documented instances of vehicles equipped with automatic crash notification alerting authorities of hit-and-run crash despite the driver’s attempt to flee.
Other countermeasures may include strategies that increase people’s perceived likelihood of being apprehended, the study says.
“Individuals may feel they are more likely to be apprehended for hit-and-run violations if they know that the crash was captured on camera or believe that it may have been,” the release says. “Federal funding has been previously allocated to allow police departments “to purchase new traffic cameras to assist with criminal and motor vehicle investigations,” including hit-and-run crashes.”
Automated license plate readers could be another tool used by law enforcement to apprehended fleeing drivers, the study says. The technology could be used in cases where the license place is known, it adds.
Law enforcement could also use “yellow alerts,” which are similar to “Amber Alerts.” The alert could disseminate information on a large scale for crashes that involve serious injury or death. They could be utilized when a complete or partial license plate number or descriptors are available for a hit-and-run vehicle, the study says.
Currently, California, Colorado, and Maryland use yellow alerts.
Public service announcement campaigns could also be used to address hit-and-run crashes the report says. It points to a 2015 billboard used by the City of Los Angeles that features various actors who broadcast safety messages and important information that could be critical in solving the crimes.
Another solution could be making the ability to get a driver’s license an easier process, as 2 in 5 known hit-and-run drivers didn’t have a license, possibly causing them to flee from the scene.
“While it is unknown how many drivers who flee the scene of a crash are unlicensed due to debt based licensing actions, various efforts have been made to reduce the financial burdens of drivers whose licenses have been suspended or revoked for non-driving reasons,” the study says.
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