40 fatal hit and run cases so far this year
Shanghai traffic police announced on Thursday that they have discovered who is at fault in 37 of 40 fatal hit and run cases so far this year.
Of these, 29 occurred in streets in suburban districts, seven in urban area streets, and one on an elevated highway.
Eighty percent of the hit and runs took place between 6pm and 6am, and over 40 percent were caused by drivers over 40 years old, police said.
In about 90 percent of all cases, the vehicles that caused the fatalities were trucks, cars and e-bikes, according to the police.
In a recent accident, which took place near the crossroads of Jiamei Road and Meiyu Road in Jiading District about 9:30pm on September 1, a man called Chen Jingyi who was driving in the wrong lane hit an e-bike and caused the death of a person on a bike, police said.
Chen fled but then drove his vehicle into a tree. He abandoned his car and ran away, police added.
Police warn that those who behave like Chen and flee the scene of a traffic accident that they have caused face the full might of the law.
If no injuries or deaths result from a hit and run, the person who caused the accident will likely be fined, detained and given 12 demerits on their driving license, according to China’s traffic law.
But anyone who causes injuries or deaths in a hit and run incident that is established as a criminal case will face criminal punishment and be banned from driving for life.
In Shanghai, hit and run drivers will also see their personal credit affected, making it harder for them to seek loans from banks in the future.
