Hit-and-Run Wrecks: Causes, Consequences, and Pedestrian Safety

One in four pedestrians struck by a motor vehicle is the victim of a hit and run.

That means that 25% of drivers who hit people leave them there and drive away. This is an alarming statistic, especially when we consider that pedestrian fatalities have risen consistently for the past 15 years.

Laws require drivers in collisions to stop and exchange contact and insurance information with other parties involved. However, as the above statistics demonstrate, drivers often flee the scene after striking pedestrians.

Hit-and-run drivers can face criminal misdemeanor or felony charges. The severity of the consequences depends on several factors, including the circumstances of the accident and the victims’ injuries. The problem is that the drivers are not always caught.

Causes of hit and runs: Drivers

• Distracted or drowsy driving
• Impairment
• Speeding
• Lack of lighting/visibility

Causes of accidents: Pedestrians

• Darting into the road
• Cell phone use
• Impairment
• Jaywalking
• Failure to pay attention

Why do people flee after an accident?

1. Impaired by drugs and/or alcohol
2. Fleeing from a crime or criminal activity
3. Driver doesn’t have a valid driver’s license
4. Driver doesn’t have car insurance
5. Fear of criminal charges
6. Panic
7. Prior driving offenses and fear of losing their license

By the numbers: Pedestrian hit-and-run wrecks

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has a searchable database for collisions in the United States dating back to 2008. The numbers reveal some interesting and important trends.

In 2022, the most recent year with data available, more than 67,000 pedestrians were injured and more than 7,500 were killed in collisions in the United States. For both pedestrian injuries and deaths, the percentage of hit and runs was 25%.

In the 15 years between 2008 and 2022, the number of pedestrians injured in collisions fluctuated frequently.

Figure 1: Data from NHTSA.

More pedestrians were injured in 2016 in any other year: 86,399. In 2020, only 54,771 were injured. We can attribute that to the COVID-19 pandemic, when fewer cars were on the road. Pedestrians were far safer during 2020 than they had been in years prior.

So, we can see that the number of pedestrians injured by vehicles each year doesn’t follow a steady increase or decrease.

However, the pedestrian deaths tell a different story.

Why are more pedestrians dying each year?

As you can see in the graph below, with a few slight variations, pedestrian fatalities have increased with time. Even in the years where the number of injuries fluctuated, the deaths rose steadily.

Figure 2: Data from NHTSA.

Road rage and speeding are at an all-time high

On today’s roads, patience is scarce. Research has shown that up to 80% of drivers in the United States have experienced road rage. Some of these drivers experience road rage regularly.

Angry and impatient drivers tend to break the speed limit. Faster vehicles are harder to control and take longer to stop. If you’re speeding down the road and a person steps off the sidewalk and into your path, you are more likely to strike them.

In work zones and school zones, speed limits are often lowered — and for good reason. In these areas, it is necessary to proceed with extra caution. When visibility is diminished, workers are near the roadway, or children are outside, speeding is unacceptable.

What to do if you witness a hit and run

1. Call 911 immediately
2. Photograph the car with cell phone if you can
3. Try to get the license plate number or part of it, and write it down
4. Get a description of the vehicle
5. Wait for police to arrive
6. Don’t chase after the driver
7. Check on the well-being of the person struck

Hit and runs aren’t ending any time soon

Almost every day, news headlines notify the public of another fatal hit and run. On Aug. 23, a 31-year-old woman was struck by a vehicle in St. Louis. The vehicle drove away, and the woman later died. A few weeks earlier, a 32-year-old woman was at a park talking with friends when a speeding vehicle struck and killed her, then fled.

As car and truck wrecks continually increase, pedestrian safety becomes critical. Most drivers’ worst nightmare is striking an innocent pedestrian and harming them or taking their life. What’s worse than that is hitting a person and driving away.

Distracted and impaired drivers are less likely to realize that they hit a person. If you are under the influence of drugs or alcohol, or if you are not paying attention to your surroundings, you might not stop if you strike something.

Craig, Kelley & Faultless has represented pedestrians struck and killed or severely injured by buses, semi tractor-trailers, dump trucks and other commercial motor vehicles. We have represented children struck in school zones or around bus stops. We have represented runners and bicyclists hit by cars. We have represented pedestrians who have been struck by vehicles that have crashed through houses and businesses.

If you or a loved one was hit as a pedestrian and suffered a serious injury, you will need a hit-and-run accident attorney. Reach out to us today at (800) 746-0226 or with our online form.

David W. Craig sits on the Board of Regents of the Academy of Truck Accident Attorneys (which requires the board certification in truck accident law). He is the managing partner and one of the founding partners of Craig, Kelley & Faultless LLC. He is recognized as a Top 10 Trucking Trial Lawyer and Top 100 Trial Lawyer in Indiana by the National Trial Lawyers, as well as a Top 50 Indiana lawyer by Super Lawyers. David is the author of Semitruck Wreck, A Guide for Victims and Their Families, written to help people navigate a terrible situation by answering questions that come after a tragic wreck. He also hosts the podcast After the Crash, where you can gain valuable information about the dangers involving semis and large trucks that do not follow Indiana law safety protocol regarding speed, weather conditions, maintenance upkeep, etc.