THE HIT-AND-RUN IN FATAL PEDESTRIAN ACCIDENTS - VICTIMS, CIRCUMSTANCES AND DRIVERS

Hit-and-run pedestrian fatalities are classified as to victim characte ristics, accident circumstances and driver characteristics. Over 18,00 0 pedestrian fatalities are reported in the Fatal Accident Recording S ystem for 1989- 1991. Twenty percent of the drivers involved left the accident scene. Children and senior citizens are the least likely to b e left. Drivers more commonly run in urban areas, outside the South, o n weekends and at night. Comparing motorists who left the scene but we re later identified with the drivers who remained, drivers aged 66 and older are half as likely as younger drivers to leave the accident sce ne and male drivers are 60% more likely than female drivers to run. Dr ivers with previous driving while intoxicated arrests are twice as lik ely to run as those with no such arrests. Forty-nine percent of hit-an d-run motorists involved in pedestrian fatalities are ultimately ident ified by the police. Other factors constant, drivers are more likely t o be identified if the victim was female or a child. Drivers are ident ified 2.5 times as often when the incident occurred in daylight. Drive rs appear to run more often when they are at fault and will be severel y punished (e.g. when they are intoxicated) and when it is likely that they can escape detection (9.9. at night).