AAA sees ‘troubling’ trend in hit-and-run accidents
By Ashley Halsey III - Washington Post
Three local pedestrians have been killed by hit-and-run drivers this month, bringing to at least 17 the number of hit-and-run accidents involving people walking or riding bicycles in the region this year, according to statistics compiled by the American Automobile Association.
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The AAA said that in 13 of the 17 hit-and-run accidents, the victim died. About 11 percent of crashes nationwide involve a hit-and-run driver, according to data compiled by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration reported an increase of 20 percent between 2000 and 2005 in the number of fatal hit-and-run accidents involving pedestrians.
In the Washington region, the Street Smart campaign says pedestrians and bicyclists accounted for about a quarter of all traffic fatalities between 2006 and 2010.
“The trend is troubling because it involves drivers who often willingly or knowingly flee the scene without rendering aid to the victim, making it a crime scene,” said John B. Townsend II of AAA. “That’s cold-blooded, inhumane and unconscionable.”
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