Hit-and-runs at highest level in a decade

Of the 37,306 accidents in which people were injured, recorded in 2022, 4,708 (12.6 per cent) involved hit-and-runs. This is the highest figure in 10 years and the number is particularly worrying as the number of accidents in general has fallen compared to 2013.

Especially in the capital, the phenomenon is growing. In Brussels, 16 per cent of accidents involving injury or death were hit-and-runs, compared with 12 per cent in Flanders and 10 per cent in Wallonia.

It's especially vulnerable road users - cyclists and pedestrians - that are victims of hit-and-run crimes. For example, one in five cyclists (21 per cent) were left to fend for themselves after a collision and one in seven pedestrians (14 per cent).

The vast majority (85 per cent) of offenders are later identified. In 2013, the figure was 76 per cent. "This is partly because the police are increasingly using cameras, both public and private, to track down offenders. This clearly pays off," says Stef Willems of Vias.

The majority of offenders underestimate the seriousness of the accident (31 per cent) and therefore deny having broken traffic rules. Nineteen per cent deliberately choose to leave the scene of the crime to avoid charges, others have been driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs and try to escape fines (13 per cent).

"The penalty for flight crime is always harsher than the penalty for the initial offence for which people often flee," warns Willems. "Moreover, the penalties for fleeing crime were made more severe only a few years ago." Anyone who commits a hit-and-run after an accident involving injury or in which someone dies risks up to five years in prison, a fine and a lifetime driving ban.

Vias suggests stepping up the fight against drink-driving and uninsured driving. "This way you also tackle the risk of fleeing crime."

 

The traffic institute also wants more attention to be paid to stress management during driver training.