It only takes a second of carelessness and a small bump happens when parking, you touch another vehicle or an object when turning or reversing, you touch the mirror of a parked or oncoming vehicle when driving past. Nevertheless, the person responsible continues to drive. In addition to accidents that are often perceived as "trivial", there are also run-offs in which people are injured or even killed. All of these cases are run-off accidents and therefore criminal offenses and not trivial offenses!
Information from the public helps the police
The central element of the prevention campaign - hit-and-run is unfair - is the so-called whistleblower. This is available in numerous supermarkets, at all police stations in the district and as a download on this website.
It is intended to serve as a reminder for road users in the event of a hit-and-run accident. With the help of this note, witnesses can quickly and easily note down elements such as license plate number or vehicle type and thus provide the police with valuable information for an initial investigation. Of course, the best way to report a hit-and-run is to call the police emergency number 110. In this way, search measures can be initiated immediately. In this way, hit-and-run accidents can be solved time and again. Remember, you could also be affected.
Hit-and-run accidents - think about the consequences
In most cases, the damage caused by hit-and-run accidents is covered by car insurance. There is therefore no reason to leave the scene of the accident. If you simply drive on or leave your phone number behind - you are committing a hit-and-run - and your liability insurance will not cover the damage caused afterwards. In addition, if you are a hit-and-run driver, you risk losing your driving license as well as three points in the central traffic file at the Federal Motor Transport Authority. And that for at least six months.
Faking a hit-and-run accident
It is also a criminal offense to fake a hit-and-run accident, for example in order to settle a claim against the insurance company for damage caused by the driver. The police specialists have a wide range of options here by evaluating the evidence in order to compare the accident description with the actual course of the accident.
In addition to the general increase in traffic accidents, the phenomenon of hit-and-run accidents has also increased in recent years. Statistically, around a fifth of all traffic accidents are hit-and-runs. On average, four hit-and-runs are reported every day. Unfortunately, this trend is not only continuing in the Mühlenkreis district, but also reflects the negative trend in NRW as a whole.