Hit And Run Incidents Are Trending The Wrong Way… Here’s What You Need To Do About It
It’s a situation we pray that neither we nor our children ever get involved in. We’re going about our business and out of nowhere we see a flash of movement and hear the roar of an engine. Before we know it, we’re struck with a jolt of agonizing pain and sent careening into the air. As we lie on the ground, the ground streaked with our blood, desperately clinging to consciousness we hear the squeal of tires and know that our assailant has fled the scene. It’s a nightmare that we all pray never happens to us or for anyone we care about… Yet the statistics show that this horrible crime is actually on the rise this year. In fact, this figure is trending the wrong way, going up by 7% every year since 2009 with more than 2,000 deaths caused by hit and run incidents. The trouble of course, is that these incidents occur so quickly that in the majority of cases, the perpetrator eludes custody.
But, as with most things, if we all band together and remain vigilant, we can not only prevent the risk of these nightmarish occurrences from taking place, we can all do our part to ensure that the people who perpetrate them are brought to justice.
Vigilance on the road
We all assume that it will never happen to us. We all like to think that we’re the kind of person who, even if we did find ourselves accidentally hitting a pedestrian with our car, would at the very least alert the authorities and accept responsibility for this act… But then, most of the people who have committed hit and runs probably thought the same thing. Eternal vigilance is the price we pay for our driver’s licenses, especially around the summertime when the kids are out of school.
Remember that children can behave erratically when playing or hanging out on the street and could dart out into the road in pursuit of an errant ball or a dog that’s slipped its leash. Since 2006 there have been over half a million hit and run incidents in the US alone. Don’t just assume that it won’t happen to you.
Vigilance on the street
Nobody wants to be the victim of a hit and run incident, and they especially don’t want this to happen to their children. Hit and run victims have legal recourse, and you can find out more online about how you can sue for damages if you have been involved in a hit and run incident, but we’d all rather avoid one in the first place. Ironically the best advice when it comes to awareness of reckless drivers was given to us in elementary school. Stop, look, listen and think whenever you’re close to the road and your parental spider sense starts tingling.
Vigilance as a witness
If you should be unfortunate enough to witness a hit and run, this can be extremely distressing… But it’s also your opportunity to be a hero. If possible, try and memorize the car’s make, model and color, the license plate number or better yet try and get a photo of the vehicle on your phone. Your highest priority, however, should be the victim. Call an ambulance and be by their side. The emergency responder will be able to give you potentially life saving instructions that will allow you to help them.