Nearly 15,000 Since 2016: Malta Sees An Average Of Eight Hit-And-Runs Every Single Day
While road-related incidents are not a new story in Malta, it is still surprising to learn that Maltese police have consistently reported nearly 3,000 hit-and-runs per year over the last five years.
That’s just under an average of eight hit-and-runs every single day.
The statistics come in the wake of a Sliema hit-and-run incident that Lovin Malta shed light on last week, in which the widow of Clifford Micallef, a cyclist killed in a hit-and-run twelve years ago, fell victim to a similar incident herself.
Reaching out to the Police, Lovin Malta has learned that from 2016 to April 2021, Police have reported a grand total of 14,419 hit-and-run incidents with a general trend of between 2,600 to 2,900 hit-and-runs noted per year.
In total the annual statistics for reported hit-and-runs in Malta over the past five years are 2,672 (2016), 2,821 (2017), 2,915 (2018), 2,962 (2019), 2,377 (2020) and 672 (April, 2021).
These statistics include three incident types: Involuntary Damage by hit-and-run, Wilful Damage by hit-and-run and Road Traffic Incident by hit-and-run.
This trend also shows a consistent level of hit-and-runs, interrupted only in 2020 due to what was likely the lockdown measures set in place by the pandemic’s arrival on the islands.
In Malta, whenever the police receive a report of a hit-and-run, investigations are initiated to identify the vehicle that caused the damage. Once that is found, it is classified as an accidental or intentional incident – with the police then acting accordingly.
If a driver is aware of the unintentional incident and for no justifiable reason didn’t stop the car, charges are issued in terms of regulations.
Meanwhile, if the investigation results in the discovery that this was an intentional hit-and-run, then the police further investigate and prosecute the perpetrator on lines of the crime of wilful damage.
A hit-and-run incident is a crucial moment where a driver not stopping could mean the difference of life and death for the person they have collided with. After all, the person that hits you most often will be the first responder at the scene, able to call for help if you are injured.
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