Insurers call for action after rise in hit-and-run incidents on UK roads
Following a significant increase in the number of hit-and-run accidents on Britain’s roads, insurance companies have called for greater efforts to make drivers aware of their responsibilities – and of the legal requirement to report such accidents.
Just over 12 per cent, or 17,122, of the 140,056 road traffic accidents causing casualties in 2015 involved a hit-and-run incident, according to Department for Transport figures. This is up from a rate of just over 10 per cent, or 16,667 in 2014.
A study by the department of criminology at the University of Leicester, surveying almost 700 hit-and-run offenders, found that while some were thinking about their own self-preservation, or were under the influence of alcohol, many did not consider the incident to be serious and used that as a justification for failing to report it, according to an article in The Guardian.
The report made a number of recommendations to help tackle this criminal issue, including more education about motorists’ responsibilities and exactly what should be done in the event of an accident.
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