1,749 Pedestrian Deaths Involved Hit-and-Run Crashes in 2024, NHTSA Data Shows

Nearly one in four pedestrian fatalities nationwide involved a hit-and-run crash, while Phoenix recorded 209 pedestrian hit-and-run collisions in the same year.

More than 7,000 pedestrians lost their lives in traffic crashes across the United States in 2024. Of those deaths, 1,749 occurred in crashes involving hit-and-run drivers, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The figure accounts for approximately 25% of all pedestrian fatalities that year.

An analysis highlighted by Lerner & Rowe examines national and Arizona pedestrian safety data alongside a fatal hit-and-run incident in Phoenix on June 28, 2026. Although pedestrian deaths have declined in recent years, federal and local records show that hit-and-run collisions remain a significant road safety concern.

Fatal Phoenix Hit-and-Run Raises Safety Concerns

A 40-year-old woman died after being struck by a vehicle near 43rd Avenue and Thomas Road in Phoenix on June 28, 2026.

According to FOX 10 Phoenix, the crash occurred around 6:20 a.m. Police reported that a BMW initially collided with a Toyota Camry before striking the pedestrian and crashing into a fence.

Emergency responders transported the woman to a hospital in critical condition, but she did not survive. The Camry driver also suffered serious injuries.

Police said the 24-year-old BMW driver allegedly left the scene before investigators located him at the registered owner’s home. Authorities reported that he had serious injuries and was taken to a hospital.

At the time of the report, police had not determined what caused the collision or whether impairment was involved.

The incident highlights the consequences of serious pedestrian crashes and the additional concerns that arise when a driver leaves the scene.

US Pedestrian Fatalities Decline for a Second Year

National pedestrian deaths have decreased since 2022, but the overall numbers remain high.

NHTSA recorded 7,593 pedestrian fatalities in 2022, followed by 7,367 in 2023 and 7,080 in 2024. The latest figure represents a 3.9% decline from 2023 and an approximately 6.8% decrease from 2022.

Despite those improvements, an average of 19 pedestrians died in US traffic crashes every day in 2024.

Hit-and-run involvement remains a significant part of the national picture. NHTSA reported that 1,749 pedestrian fatalities occurred in crashes involving drivers who left the scene.

The agency separately found that 24% of pedestrians killed were struck by hit-and-run drivers. The two figures measure different circumstances: one covers fatalities in crashes involving a fleeing driver, while the other identifies pedestrians struck by those drivers.

Arizona Records More Pedestrian Crashes Despite Fewer Deaths

Arizona’s crash records reveal a concerning contrast. Pedestrian fatalities declined between 2022 and 2024, but reported pedestrian crashes increased.

According to the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT), the state recorded 1,964 pedestrian crashes and 307 pedestrian deaths in 2022. In 2023, crashes increased to 1,986, while fatalities declined to 273.

The pattern continued in 2024, with 2,079 pedestrian crashes and 263 pedestrian fatalities.

Across the three-year period, reported pedestrian crashes increased approximately 5.9%, while pedestrian deaths fell 14.3%.

Arizona also recorded 1,912 pedestrian injuries in 2024. The figures show that declining fatalities did not mean fewer pedestrians were involved in reported crashes.

Phoenix Reports 209 Pedestrian Hit-and-Run Collisions

Phoenix recorded a substantial number of pedestrian hit-and-run incidents in 2024, according to its official Traffic Collision Summary.

The city documented 806 pedestrian collisions, 90 pedestrian fatalities, and 209 pedestrian hit-and-run collisions during the year.

Hit-and-run incidents accounted for approximately 25.9% of reported pedestrian collisions, equivalent to roughly one in four.

The city’s report also identified 755 pedestrian injuries, showing that the consequences extended beyond fatal crashes.

Phoenix’s statistics provide a local perspective on the national hit-and-run problem. However, the city’s collision figures and NHTSA’s national fatality totals measure different outcomes and should not be treated as directly comparable percentages.

Research Finds Most Fatal Hit-and-Run Crashes Occur in Darkness

A March 2026 study from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety offers additional insight into when fatal hit-and-run crashes occur.

Researchers examined US crash records from 2017 through 2023 and found that nearly 80% of fatalities involving hit-and-run crashes occurred in darkness.

Among pedestrians, the largest number of hit-and-run fatalities occurred between 7 p.m. and 10:59 p.m. The study recorded 4,030 pedestrian deaths involving hit-and-run crashes during those hours across the seven-year period.

The proportion was highest between 11 p.m. and 2:59 a.m., when 33.9% of pedestrian fatalities involved a hit-and-run crash.

Researchers also examined drivers who fled fatal crashes and were eventually identified. Information was available for only 47% of hit-and-run drivers, and approximately two in five within that group did not have a valid driver’s license.

AAA cautioned that drivers who were identified may differ from those who were never found. The research describes broader crash patterns rather than establishing why individual drivers leave accident scenes.

Pedestrian Safety Remains a Concern Despite Falling Deaths

The findings reveal an important distinction between progress in reducing fatalities and the continuing frequency of pedestrian crashes.

Nationally, pedestrian deaths declined for two consecutive years through 2024. In Arizona, however, the number of reported pedestrian crashes increased even as fatalities fell.

Phoenix’s 209 pedestrian hit-and-run collisions add another dimension to the issue, while AAA’s research identifies darkness as a common characteristic of fatal hit-and-run crashes nationwide.

The June 2026 Phoenix tragedy offers a reminder that pedestrian safety involves more than reducing annual death totals. Preventing collisions, understanding when serious crashes occur, and addressing drivers leaving crash scenes remain important parts of the broader road safety discussion.

Research Methodology and Sources

The article draws on NHTSA’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System and Traffic Safety Facts, ADOT’s 2024 Arizona Motor Vehicle Crash Facts, the City of Phoenix’s 2024 Traffic Collision Summary, and the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety’s March 2026 research on fatal hit-and-run crashes. Details of the June 28 Phoenix incident come from FOX 10 Phoenix.

National, state, and city figures use separate reporting systems and measure different outcomes. NHTSA’s 2024 fatality figures are based on its Annual Report File and may be revised.