So many people drive away after a traffic accident

After a traffic accident you have to stop, that’s what every driver learned when he got his driver’s license. Still, a worrying number of people continue to drive after a road accident, a study by Independer, based on police figures and data from the Guarantee Fund, has found.

Driving into an accident is a criminal offence. Yet it often happens. The passage is punished with a maximum of 3 months imprisonment and a fine of up to 8,100 euros. Your driver’s license can also be revoked for five years. There is one exception to this law. If the driver nevertheless reports to the police within 12 hours, the criminal prosecution for driving expires.

Extremely many people drive away after a traffic accident

The figures show that last year almost 80,000 official reports were issued for driving away after a traffic accident. Significantly more than a year earlier (+7.7 percent). In 1,400 cases there was even talk of injuries. If you convert that into days, 200 people drive away after a car accident every day.

In addition to the risk of a fine and jail time, getting auto insurance after a conviction is less straightforward. The insurer can cancel your current insurance.

To make it even more tangible: nine people drive away after a traffic accident every hour. This not only involves damage to other road users, but also damage to stationary vehicles, for example. In 2022, the guarantee fund paid out around 68.1 million euros to victims.

By community

It is noticeable that the differences per municipality are large. The ranking is based on the number of traffic accidents per 10,000 inhabitants.