Hit and Run accidents are of particular concern, partly because of the suspicion that many drivers who Hit and Run do so because they had been acting illegally. This report presents the results of a study of British accident data from 1990-2002 that investigates the incidence and character of these accidents. Hit and Run accidents tend to be less severe than other accidents, probably because a vehicle that is capable of being driven away after an accident can only have sustained relatively light damage. They occur mainly on Built-Up roads (those with a speed limit of at most 40mph): seven out of eight Hit and Run accidents occurred on these roads in 2001. Hit and Run accidents formed a constant fraction of the accident total until 1998, but this fraction has since risen rapidly for non-fatal accidents on Built-Up roads; however, there were only slight increases on Non Built-Up roads and no increases on motorways. Young men were the most likely to Hit and Run: nearly 12 per cent of male drivers up to 20 years old Hit and Ran, and over 10 per cent of those aged 21-30. The percentages rose rapidly for these groups between 1997 and 2001. (Author/publisher)
Samenvatting