Study of Factors Contributing to Vulnerable Road Users Hit-and-Run Crashes in Urban Setup in a Developing Country

Ensuring the safety of Vulnerable Road users (VRUs), including pedestrians, motorcyclists, bicyclists, and other non-motorized transport (NMT) users, remains a significant global challenge. The problem is predominantly higher in urban areas of Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs). Because hit-and-run crashes account for a noteworthy share of the VRU death rate in urban India, a better understanding of these crashes will help to reduce traffic fatality risk in Indian cities. In this background, the current paper examines the impact of seasonal variations, crash timing, traffic exposures, roadway characteristics, land use, and spatial aspects of a site on the possibility of VRU hit-and-run crashes. Using 8-year (2011-2018) crash data from Kolkata Police, three sets of binary logistic regression models are established to identify the key factors influencing hit-and-run crashes related to pedestrians, two-wheelers, and NMT users. Based on a systematic investigation, the present paper recognizes five topmost factors, namely, (a) crash timing: night and early morning [10 pm to 6 am], (b) vehicular speed , (c) midblock locations , (d) absence of pavement marking , and (e) insufficient illumination that largely affect the possibility of VRUs hit-and-run in an urban context of LMICs. The study also identifies poor road infrastructure (absence of zebra crossing and footpaths, undesignated bus stops, restricted sight distance), land use patterns (residential, office areas), slum areas, and risky traffic movements as essential determinants of hit-and-run crashes. To assure VRU safety in LMICs, a set of countermeasures and strategic interventions are further framed using the study's findings.