While road accidents have fallen overall since 2013, the number of hit-and-runs instances is growing traffic institute Vias reported on Monday. Pedestrians and cyclists are the first victims of such accidents.
Of the 37,306 accidents with injuries or fatalities in Belgium last year, 4,708 (12.6%) involved hit-and-run offences – the highest number in a decade. In light of the overall number of accidents decreasing, Vias finds this finding "all the more worrying".
Intentionally fleeing the scene after an accident is a criminal offence, but the realities are more complex as this would also include if the person who drives away didn't cause the accident. "In a hit-and-run offence, you know (or should know) that you were involved in an accident and leave wilfully."
Total number of accidents with the percentage of accidents that involved a hit-and-run on an annual basis.
The phenomenon is especially marked in Brussels, where 16% of accidents with injury or death were hit-and-runs; in Flanders this figure was 12% and in Wallonia 10%.
Vulnerable road users – (motor)cyclists and pedestrians – are the most common victims and are most likely to be left without help after an accident: one in five cyclists (21%) was left to fend for themselves after being hit by a vehicle; for pedestrians, this figure was one in seven (14%).
Catching offenders
Vias did note that the majority (85%) of perpetrators are identified (up from 76% in 2013), progress that can largely be explained by the considerable rise in the number of road cameras, both public and private.
However, 31% of offenders downplay the seriousness of the accident and deny having violated traffic rules. While 19% said they "deliberately choose" to leave the scene to avoid the accident charges, others were driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs at the time and drove away to escape fines (13%).
Vias noted that measures to promote road safety in general – such as those in the Federal Road Safety Plan 2021-2025, which aims to have zero traffic fatalities by 2050 – are also measures against hit-and-runs by extension. But it conceded that these general road safety measures must be augmented with more specific policy measures to "tackle this type of crime at its root."
The institute suggests that the fight against drink-driving and uninsured driving be stepped up (both are on the rise), for example by increasing checks to catch these drivers.
"Awareness is also crucial" Vias added, suggesting that more attention is paid to stress management during driver training. Like hit-and-runs, road rage is a complicated offence though one that can be punished with fines ranging from €1,600 to €16,000.
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Commenting on Vias' figures, Federal Mobility Minister Georges Gilkinet stressed the gravity of leaving the scene of an accident and reaffirmed the need "to get the victims, often cyclists or pedestrians, to safety and cooperate with the police by calling them."
Alongside Home Affairs Minister Annelies Verlinden and Justice Minister Vincent Van Quickenborne, Gilkinet is preparing a draft bill to that would impound the vehicle of anyone found guilty of hit-and-run offences.
