The State of Hit-and-Runs in the U.S. 

From 2018 to 2022, there were nearly 4 million hit-and-runs in the U.S.

Out of these accidents:

• 74 percent resulted in property damage only
• 26 percent were injury only
• Less than 1 percent were fatal

In case you’re wondering how likely hit-and-runs are, only 0.4 percent of licensed drivers, or 1 in 250, experienced them in 2022.² To break it down by the damages and injuries, 0.3 percent of U.S. adults experienced hit-and-runs with property damage only, and less than 1 percent involved injuries or deaths.

Fatal hit-and-runs are more common in certain areas than others, according to the latest data from the NHTSAand the U.S. Census Bureau (2022).

By Region

The West had the highest rate of fatal hit-and-runs in 2022 — 1.06 per 100,000 inhabitants. The Northeast had the lowest rates at 0.47 per 100,000 inhabitants.

By State

Louisiana, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, and Tennessee have the highest rates of fatal hit-and-runs. The states with the lowest per capita rates are Wyoming, New Hampshire, Maine, Vermont, and Idaho.

Multiple factors lead to a hit-and-run crash, from the number of pedestrians to the characteristics of the hit-and-run driver.

More Pedestrians

Most of the people killed in hit-and-runs are pedestrians, who aren’t protected by the body of a car.

Environmental Factors

Environmental factors such as lighting, the shape of roadways, and general surveillance can affect the likelihood of hit-and-runs. Areas with less lighting have more car accidents in general. The more visibility, the less likely someone is to commit a hit-and-run. In general, heavy-traffic areas with more surveillance have fewer hit-and-runs than darker, more private areas.

Driver Characteristics

In 2022, the large majority of drivers involved in hit-and-run crashes were between the ages of 25 and 64,  according to the most recent NHTSA data.  This makes sense given that most licensed drivers are within this age group.

However, young drivers are disproportionately involved in hit-and-runs — drivers between the ages of 16 and 24 accounted for 22 percent of hit-and-runs in 2022, but this age group only represented 11 percent of licensed drivers that year.

Male drivers are also more likely to be involved in a hit-and-run accident — 58 percent of drivers involved in hit-and-runs in 2022 were male, while 42 percent were female.

Driving under the influence is another big contributor to hit-and-runs. DUIs correlate with male drivers: In 2022, 77 percent of drivers involved in fatal traffic crashes who had a blood alcohol level above the legal limit were men.⁴

Men are also disproportionately killed in hit-and-run traffic accidents. Although men and women each make up about 50 percent of all licensed drivers, men make up 73 percent of all hit-and-run traffic fatality victims.

The largest number of victims killed in an accident involving a hit-and-run in 2022 were in the 25-54 age bracket.  While this group makes up 39 percent of the total U.S. population, they represent 54 percent of those killed in hit-and-run accidents. Therefore, the most likely person to die in a hit-and-run is a male between the ages of 25 and 54.

The culprits in hit-and-runs often drive older cars, suggesting a lower socioeconomic status, according to AAA data. The costs of an at-fault accident could be high, especially for those who drive without insurance — property damage, bodily injuries, state penalties and fees, and possibly even years in prison. Therefore, many people flee the scene to avoid law enforcement and the costs of the accident, but they become guilty of a greater crime (a hit-and-run) by doing so.⁵

If someone hits your parked car, or if someone hits your car and then leaves, will your car insurance cover your property damages and bodily injuries? It depends on your coverages and limits.

Uninsured Motorist Coverage

Insurance companies can apply your uninsured motorist coverage to hit-and-runs to pay your  medical bills. Many states do not require you to purchase uninsured motorist coverage, but we recommend it, considering that an estimated 14 percent of drivers across the nation were uninsured as of 2022.⁶

Collision Coverage

Collision coverage is another coverage that you could apply to property damage from hit-and-runs, although its main usage is for accidents you’ve caused. No state requires collision insurance, but it’s part of full coverage, along with comprehensive coverage, medical payments coverage, and liability coverage.

Medical Payments Coverage and Personal Injury Protection

Finally, you can apply either medical payments coverage or personal injury protection (PIP) to the costs of your injuries. While medical payments coverage will cover your medical bills, PIP will also cover any wages you lost or child care you had to pay for as a result of the accident.

Hit-and-runs are a major reason why purchasing full-coverage car insurance and uninsured motorist coverage is essential. If you lack these coverages and only have the minimum coverage your state requires, you may have to pay for the costs out of pocket if you’re involved in a crash. Check out more of our car insurance research on teen drivers, car crashes and uninsured motorists.

To perform this research, we combined third-party data from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, the Insurance Research Council, the U.S. Census Bureau, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration, and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.