Understanding the Increase in Fatal Hit & Run Crashes

Introduction

Hit-and-run crashes occur when a driver leaves the scene of a crash without assisting injured victims, exchanging insurance information, or calling for help. These crashes can delay crucial medical care for victims, increase economic costs to the victims and to other motorists, and result in the driver evading responsibility. Previous research by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety found that more than 2,000 people were killed in 2016 in hit-and-run crashes, and that vulnerable road users were significantly over-represented among the victims. Recent data show that fatal hit-and-run crashes have increased significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Project Goal and Plan

The goal of this project is to provide updated statistics on the number of crashes, injuries, and deaths in the United States in recent years. The current study will include a literature review summarizing the most recent information on this topic, examination of the most recent available data on motor vehicle crashes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System database of fatal crashes and Crash Reporting Sampling System database of all police-reported crashes, estimates of recent trends in hit-and-run crashes overall and in relation to crash characteristics.