Hit and runs in London grow for the fourth year in a row as over 1000 pedestrians were victims of hit and runs last year. Green Assembly Member Jenny Jones expresses her shock that the issue is not being treated more seriously and calls for action.
Jenny Jones at the Space for Cycling protest last year. Image courtesy of Jim Killock.
New figures from the Met Police show that 1,043 pedestrians were victims of hit and runs in London last year. The total number of people injured in hit and runs went up again in 2013, the fourth consecutive year of increases since 2009. However, fatalities and serious injuries did decline in line with the general decline in London KSIs last year. 896 cyclists were victims of hit and runs in 2013.
The proportion of all the collisions in London (leading to injuries) which are now hit and runs, has gone up for the last four years and is now almost a fifth of the total.
|
Year |
Fatal |
Serious |
Slight |
Total |
Total collisions |
Hit and runs as % collisions |
|
2009 |
11 |
297 |
2782 |
3090 |
23,239 |
13.30% |
|
2010 |
15 |
307 |
3085 |
3407 |
24,105 |
14.10% |
|
2011 |
14 |
306 |
3215 |
3535 |
24,443 |
14.70% |
|
2012 |
15 |
360 |
3501 |
3876 |
24,059 |
16.11% |
|
2013 |
8 |
306 |
3840 |
4154 |
23,066 |
18.00% |
London Assembly Member Jenny Jones said:
“This is a worrying trend which the Met Police need to treat as a priority. Hit and runs are associated with other illegal activities such as drunk driving, speeding, being disqualified or simply having no insurance. When a city has almost a fifth of its injuries from road collisions being linked to hit and runs, then the Mayor ought to be demanding that the police enforce the rules of the road.
I am particularly shocked that over a thousand pedestrians could be victims of hit and runs in London last year and it isn’t regarded as a major scandal by the Mayor and senior officers in the Met Police. I hope that the Met’s Transport and Traffic teams are given the resources and political backing to get on top of our lawless roads.”