Croydon is among the worst boroughs for dangerous drivers and reckless hit-and-run incidents, according to a report published by a London Assembly Member.
Car crash: new data shows that casualties from hit-and-runs are on the increase in Croydon, too
In 2021 (the last year for which official figures are available) there were 316 casualties of hit-and-runs recorded in Croydon – almost one for every day of the year.
Only five other boroughs – all inner London boroughs – had more hit-and-runs in that year.
Neighbouring boroughs Bromley (134) and Merton (142) had less than half the incidences of hit-and-runs as Croydon. Sutton, with 104, had less than one-third.
Inside Croydon reported in 2022 how Croydon had more road collisions than any other outer London borough. This latest data confirms that unwanted status, and if anything, suggests that Croydon’s roads have just become ever more dangerous.
There was a total of 7,708 casualties of hit-and-runs recorded on the streets of London in 2021 – more than double the figure for 10 years earlier.
“This apparent increase in irresponsible and dangerous driving on our roads is very worrying,” according to Assembly Member Caroline Russell in the introduction to her report, which lays out the persistent, terrifying rise in hit and run casualties across London over the past two decades.
Black spots: Croydon is among the worst London boroughs for casualties caused by hit-and-runs
The Green Party AM’s report also points out the glaring inconsistencies in the Mayor’s reporting of the data, ranging from failing to include nearly 80% of the hit-and-run data in 2016, all the way to omitting the borough of Bexley entirely in 2020 (Bexley has a population of almost one quarter of a million people).
Russell says that a lack of timely responses from the Mayor and his officials, with response times to questions from Assembly Members sometimes stretching to nearly a full year, has resulted in “an extended lapse in proper scrutiny”.
Russell said: “Hit-and-run is a crime with sometimes devastating consequences, so it is shocking that the number of victims continues to rise.
Road map: Green Party AM Caroline Russell has a plan to improve road safety
“In 2021 there were more than 21 people each day being injured on our roads by people without the decency to stop to check for their well-being, and the Mayor does not even properly record it.
“Every Londoner should be concerned that the number of victims of hit and run crashes has more than doubled since 2009 when the first data was collated.”
Russell has called on Transport for London and the Metropolitan Police to tackle what she describes as “this escalating crisis”.
Read more: Official: More car crashes in Croydon than anywhere in London
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