Oregon’s 143 Fatal Hit-and-Runs Expose a Disturbing Trend in Five-Year Analysis That Puts California at the Top

In a recent survey, California’s fatal hit-and-run rate of 11.3% of total crashes was the highest national average, while Oregon’s 5.6% ranked #18, tying with North Carolina, Missouri, and Wisconsin.

Survey Findings On Fatal Hit-And-Runs As A Percentage Of All Statewide Crashes

National data shows that out of 186,283 fatal motor vehicle crashes across the United States from 2019 to 2023, 13,001 involved a hit-and-run driver. Fatal hit-and runs represent 7% of all fatal crashes nationwide.

Research conducted by the Law Offices of James A. Welcome, using data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) between 2019 and 2023, identified the total number of fatal crashes and compared them with the number of crashes involving a hit-and-run in each state.

The percentage of fatal crashes involving a hit-and-run was then calculated, and these percentages were used to produce the rankings.

States with the highest rates of fatal hit-and-runs (2019-2023)

Oregon ranked 18th, along with North Carolina, Missouri, and Wisconsin, each with a 5.6% hit-and-run rate, 1.4 percentage points below the national average. Oregon recorded 143  incidents out of 2,554.

States with -1.4% rates of fatal hit-and-runs (2019-2023)

A spokesperson from the Law Offices of James A. Welcome confirmed that the data shows a clear geographical divide in fatal hit-and-run incidents and “This pattern suggests that factors such as population density, traffic volume, and urbanization may influence the likelihood of drivers fleeing the scene.”