Last year, more than 4,700 accidents with injury or fatality were followed by a hit and run, a record number in 10 years. Traffic institute Vias reports this today. Pedestrians and cyclists are the first victims of this type of accident. The vast majority of perpetrators are identified.
Of the 37,306 accidents with physical injuries registered last year, 4,708 (12.6 percent) involved hit and run. A number that is all the more worrying because the number of accidents in general has fallen compared to 2013, Vias Institute underlines.
The phenomenon is especially growing in the capital: in Brussels, 16 percent of accidents with injury or death were followed by a hit and run, compared to 12 percent in Flanders and 10 percent in Wallonia.
Vast majority of perpetrators identified
One positive point in this gloomy picture: the vast majority (85 percent) of perpetrators are identified, compared to 76 percent in 2013. This progress can largely be explained by the large growth of cameras, both in the public and private sphere, Vias said.
Vulnerable road users — two-wheelers and pedestrians — are the first victims of hit and run crimes. For example, one in five cyclists (21 percent) was left to their own devices after a collision, and one in seven pedestrians (14 percent).
The majority of the perpetrators play down the seriousness of the accident (31 percent) and therefore deny having violated the traffic rules. Nineteen percent consciously choose to leave the crime scene to avoid the costs of the accident, others drive under the influence of alcohol or drugs and try to escape the fines (13 percent).
Vias therefore proposes to step up the fight against drunk driving and uninsured driving. “Awareness is also crucial,” adds Vias, suggesting paying more attention to stress management during driver training.
LOOK. Why are hit and run crimes being committed more often?
Commenting on the Vias figures, Federal Minister of Mobility Georges Gilkinet (Ecolo) says the “message is clear”: “You must not cause an accident by trying to escape. In the event of an accident, it is really important to bring the victims, often cyclists or pedestrians, to safety and to cooperate with the police by calling them.”
Together with Ministers of the Interior Annelies Verlinden and Justice Vincent Van Quickenborne, Gilkinet is preparing a bill that should allow the judiciary to immobilize the vehicle of hit-and-run offenders.
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