A new study reveals a growing crisis on roads in the United States, one that leaves injured people alone, without help and too often without accountability.

The latest research from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety finds that 15% of all police-reported crashes in 2023 involved a driver who fled the scene, the highest percentage recorded in any recent year.

Pedestrians and cyclists are especially vulnerable.

According to study findings, “one in four pedestrians and nearly as many cyclists killed in crashes in 2023 were hit by a driver who fled the scene.”

Pedestrians and cyclists often are struck in darkness during late night or early morning hours, when visibility is low and there may be no one nearby to help or witness the crash.

Roadside service providers who work just feet from moving traffic, often in dangerous conditions, are at risk as well, according to researchers. Fifteen were struck and killed at the roadside last year, based on AAA’s tracking of reported roadside worker fatalities. At least six of those 15 were killed by a driver who fled the scene.

The AAA Foundation’s research identifies practical solutions that can save lives: automatic crash notifications through vehicles and smartphones, safer road designs that protect people walking and biking and accountability measures – including clear legal consequences and consistent enforcement – that make fleeing the scene less likely.

Notable findings include:

•Hit-and-run fatalities most often occur late at night or in the early morning hours, when it is dark and witnesses are less likely to be present.

•Among known hit-and-run drivers in fatal crashes, 40% did not have a valid driver’s license and more than half were driving vehicles not registered in their name.

•The majority of identified hit-and-run drivers were young and male and crashed within a short distance of their homes.

•Research suggests drivers are less likely to flee when they believe they will be caught, pointing to the potential impact of traffic cameras and “Yellow Alerts” designed to notify and seek information from the public after serious or fatal hit-and-run crashes.