Fatal hit-and-run deaths have declined nationwide since 2022, but several states are experiencing substantial increases, revealing a widening geographic divide in one of America’s most serious roadway safety problems.
A nationwide study conducted by Attorney Brian White found that Washington, D.C., and New Mexico recorded the highest overall fatal hit-and-run burdens between 2020 and 2024, while Nevada and Louisiana experienced particularly sharp increases in their annual death rates.
The analysis examined 13,762 fatal hit-and-run crashes that claimed 14,154 lives across the United States during the five-year period.
Although the national death toll declined to 2,758 in 2024, that figure remained 6.2% higher than the 2,596 fatalities recorded in 2020.
The findings reveal that national improvements have not been evenly distributed, with some states reporting rapidly increasing fatality rates even as others experienced substantial declines.
Washington, D.C., and New Mexico Recorded the Highest Overall Hit-and-Run Burdens
The research evaluated all 50 states and Washington, D.C., using a composite index designed to capture the relative burden of fatal hit-and-run crashes.
Rather than ranking jurisdictions exclusively by the number of deaths, the index considered population-adjusted crash rates, fatality rates, pedestrian and cyclist deaths, the proportion of overall traffic deaths involving hit-and-runs and changes in fatality rates over time.
Washington, D.C., ranked first overall with a composite score of 97.9 out of 100.
New Mexico followed at 96.4, making it the highest-ranking state in the analysis.
Louisiana ranked third with a score of 94.3, followed by Nevada at 91.4.
America’s 10 Highest-Risk Jurisdictions for Fatal Hit-and-Run Crashes
| National Rank | State or Jurisdiction |
|---|---|
| 1 | Washington, D.C. |
| 2 | New Mexico |
| 3 | Louisiana |
| 4 | Nevada |
| 5 | California |
| 6 | Arizona |
| 7 | Tennessee |
| 8 | Delaware |
| 9 | Florida |
| 10 | Texas |
New Mexico recorded the highest five-year annualized fatal hit-and-run death rate among states, at 1.868 deaths per 100K residents.
Maine, by comparison, recorded an annualized rate of just 0.058 deaths per 100K residents.
That placed New Mexico’s population-adjusted death rate at more than 32 times Maine’s rate.
Washington, D.C., also stood out for the proportion of its overall traffic fatalities involving hit-and-run crashes.
During the five-year period, hit-and-run deaths accounted for 26.0% of all traffic deaths in the district, the highest proportional burden among the jurisdictions examined.
The findings demonstrate why population-adjusted comparisons are necessary when evaluating traffic safety.
A state with a smaller population may record fewer deaths overall while experiencing a substantially higher fatality rate relative to its population.
California, Texas and Florida Accounted for More Than 38% of Fatalities
Although New Mexico led states in population-adjusted fatal hit-and-run deaths, California recorded the largest total number of deaths during the five-year study period.
Between 2020 and 2024, California reported 2,395 fatalities involving hit-and-run crashes.
Texas followed with 1,695 deaths, while Florida recorded 1,313.
Together, the three states accounted for 5,403 deaths, representing 38.2% of all fatal hit-and-run deaths nationwide.
States With the Highest Fatal Hit-and-Run Death Totals
| State | Fatalities, 2020–2024 | Fatalities in 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| California | 2,395 | 462 |
| Texas | 1,695 | 317 |
| Florida | 1,313 | 233 |
| Combined Total | 5,403 | 1,012 |
California’s 2024 fatality total was 45.7% higher than Texas’s figure, illustrating the substantial number of victims concentrated in the nation’s most populous states.
Illinois and New York also recorded significant totals in 2024, with 130 and 104 fatalities, respectively.
However, California’s fifth-place composite ranking and Texas’s 10th-place position demonstrate that raw death counts alone do not determine the overall ranking.
The study’s population-adjusted measurements and additional safety indicators provide a broader assessment of how heavily fatal hit-and-run crashes affect individual states.
Nevada and Louisiana Experienced Some of the Sharpest Increases
One of the study’s most significant findings concerned states where fatal hit-and-run crashes have become increasingly deadly despite improvements in the national figures.
Nevada experienced a particularly pronounced increase.
The state recorded 24 fatal hit-and-run deaths in 2020, compared with 47 in 2024, representing a 95.8% increase.
Nevada’s population-adjusted fatality rate increased 86.8% over the same period.
Louisiana also recorded substantial growth.
Its annual fatal hit-and-run death toll increased from 44 in 2020 to 77 in 2024, an increase of 75.0%.
Louisiana’s population-adjusted death rate climbed 77.1%.
Both states ranked among the four highest-risk jurisdictions nationally, indicating that their worsening fatality trends coincided with elevated overall burdens.
States With Notable Changes in Fatal Hit-and-Run Deaths
| State | Deaths in 2020 | Deaths in 2024 | Change in Deaths |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nevada | 24 | 47 | +95.8% |
| Louisiana | 44 | 77 | +75.0% |
| Alabama | 31 | 48 | +54.8% |
| New York | 74 | 104 | +40.5% |
| Washington | 42 | 59 | +40.5% |
| Colorado | 32 | 46 | +43.8% |
| Michigan | 97 | 54 | -44.3% |
Percentage changes compare annual death totals in 2020 and 2024, not population-adjusted rates.
Alabama recorded a 54.8% increase in fatal hit-and-run deaths, rising from 31 to 48 during the study period.
Its population-adjusted fatality rate increased 51.1%.
New York’s annual fatalities increased from 74 to 104, representing a 40.5% increase in deaths and a 42.2% increase in its population-adjusted rate.
Colorado and Washington also experienced worsening conditions.
Colorado’s fatality rate increased 39.6%, while Washington’s rose 36.4%.
These increases demonstrate how states outside the highest overall risk rankings can still experience concerning changes in fatal crash outcomes.
Michigan Recorded a Substantial Improvement
Michigan moved in the opposite direction.
The state reported 97 fatal hit-and-run deaths in 2020, compared with 54 in 2024.
That represented a 44.3% decline in annual fatalities, while its population-adjusted death rate decreased 44.7%.
Michigan’s improvement provides a notable contrast to states experiencing significant increases.
The differing trajectories emphasize the importance of examining state-specific changes rather than assuming that nationwide declines reflect conditions in every jurisdiction.
Pedestrian and Cyclist Fatalities Help Explain Geographic Differences
The study also examined which road users were most frequently killed in fatal hit-and-run crashes.
Nationwide, pedestrians and cyclists accounted for 1,979 of the 2,758 fatalities recorded in 2024.
That represented 71.8% of all fatal hit-and-run victims.
Pedestrians accounted for 1,749 deaths, while cyclists represented another 230.
The geographic distribution of these fatalities closely mirrored the broader risk rankings.
Nine of the 10 jurisdictions with the highest overall fatal hit-and-run burden also appeared among the 10 jurisdictions with the highest pedestrian and cyclist death rates.
New Mexico led states with an annualized pedestrian and cyclist fatality rate of 1.453 per 100K residents.
Louisiana followed at 1.171, with Washington, D.C., recording a rate of 1.086.
Other high-rate jurisdictions included Arizona, California, Nevada, Tennessee, Florida, Mississippi and Texas.
The overlap suggests that jurisdictions with a particularly severe overall hit-and-run burden often also experience elevated fatality rates among pedestrians and cyclists.
Mississippi recorded the highest pedestrian and cyclist share among states with at least 100 five-year fatal hit-and-run deaths.
These road users represented 81.6% of the state’s fatal hit-and-run victims.
New Jersey followed at 78.6%, South Carolina at 78.2%, Louisiana at 78.0% and New Mexico at 77.8%.
The findings reinforce the importance of examining how fatal crashes affect different groups of road users when evaluating state traffic safety conditions.
Texas Improved Statewide, but Houston Continued to Face Elevated Fatality Rates
Texas presented a particularly notable contrast between statewide progress and local conditions.
The state ranked 10th overall in the national index, receiving a composite score of 75.9.
From 2020 through 2024, Texas recorded 1,695 fatal hit-and-run deaths, representing 12.0% of the national total.
However, annual deaths statewide declined 4.5% between 2020 and 2024, while the population-adjusted fatality rate fell 10.8%.
Those improvements were not reflected uniformly across the Houston region.
The Houston metropolitan area recorded 539 fatalities during the five-year period.
Harris County accounted for 464 deaths, representing 86.1% of the metropolitan total.
Within Houston city limits, 286 people died in fatal hit-and-run crashes.
Houston’s Fatal Hit-and-Run Burden Compared With State and National Figures
| Geographic Area | 2024 Death Rate per 100K Residents | Share of All Traffic Deaths, 2020–2024 |
|---|---|---|
| United States | 0.811 | Not shown |
| Texas | 1.013 | 8.0% |
| Houston Metropolitan Area | 1.334 | 13.4% |
| Harris County | 1.877 | 16.9% |
| Houston City Limits | Not shown | 18.1% |
The Houston metropolitan area’s death rate was 31.7% higher than the statewide average and 64.5% higher than the national figure.
Harris County’s rate was higher still, reaching 1.877 deaths per 100K residents.
The disparity extended to the city’s overall traffic fatality figures.
Between 2020 and 2024, fatal hit-and-runs accounted for 18.1% of all traffic deaths within Houston city limits, compared with 8.0% statewide.
Houston’s local trajectory also differed from Texas’s overall improvement.
Fatal hit-and-run deaths within Houston city limits increased 61.5% between 2020 and 2024.
During the same period, fatalities increased 17.5% across Harris County and 10.6% throughout the Houston metropolitan area.
In 2024 alone, Houston city limits recorded 63 deaths, compared with 58 in 2023.
The 8.6% increase occurred even as statewide fatalities declined.
National Fatalities Have Fallen, but Remain Above Earlier Levels
The broader national trend provides important context for the geographic disparities identified in the research.
Fatal hit-and-run deaths increased from 2,596 in 2020 to a five-year high of 2,972 in 2022.
The annual total subsequently declined to 2,911 in 2023 and 2,758 in 2024.
That represented a 7.2% reduction from the 2022 peak.
Fatal hit-and-run crash counts followed a similar trajectory.
The number of crashes increased from 2,520 in 2020 to 2,895 in 2022 before falling to 2,693 in 2024.
Despite the decline, the 2024 crash count remained 6.9% higher than in 2020.
The proportion of nationwide traffic deaths involving hit-and-run crashes also remained elevated.
Hit-and-run fatalities accounted for 7.0% of all traffic deaths in 2024, compared with 6.7% in 2020.
While the difference amounted to 0.3 percentage points, it indicates that the share of traffic fatalities associated with hit-and-run incidents remained above its earlier level.
State Rankings Reveal Where Greater Attention May Be Needed
Attorney Brian White’s study used records from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System and U.S. Census Bureau population estimates.
The composite index weighted five measures:
- Fatal hit-and-run crash rates: 30%.
- Fatal hit-and-run death rates: 25%.
- Pedestrian and cyclist fatality rates: 25%.
- Hit-and-run deaths as a percentage of all traffic fatalities: 10%.
- Changes in annual fatality rates between 2020 and 2024: 10%.
The resulting rankings provide a more comprehensive picture than death totals alone.
The analysis also distinguishes between long-term fatality burdens and recent changes, helping identify jurisdictions where conditions are worsening despite improvements elsewhere.
While national fatal hit-and-run deaths have declined since 2022, the substantial increases recorded in Nevada, Louisiana and several other states demonstrate that the problem remains unevenly distributed.
The contrast between Texas’s statewide improvement and Houston’s increasing local fatalities further illustrates how national and state averages can obscure persistent urban traffic safety concerns.
Ultimately, the findings suggest that examining geographic disparities, vulnerable road-user fatalities and changing local death rates will remain essential to understanding where fatal hit-and-run crashes continue to pose the greatest threat.
Study credit: Attorney Brian White.
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