One in four injury crashes involving a pedestrian is now followed by a hit-and-run, according to a study published on Sunday by road safety institute Vias.
Two years ago, the figure was about one in five pedestrian crashes in which someone was injured or killed. Last year 1,006 pedestrians were victims of a hit-and-run, making pedestrians proportionally the group most affected by this type of crash.
Cyclists are also frequently affected. In 2025, 1,819 cyclists were victims of a hit-and-run, accounting for 15% of all crashes involving a cyclist.
The same proportion, 15%, was recorded for users of electric scooters, while 12% of crashes involving moped riders were followed by a hit-and-run.
Overall, 4,814 injury crashes were followed by a hit-and-run in 2025. That was nearly 200 more cases than in 2024 and an increase of 8% over the past decade.
“These figures are worrying,” said Federal Mobility Minister Jean-Luc Crucke of Les Engagés. He said tackling the factors that contribute to hit-and-run offences would be a priority in the next federal road safety plan.
Police and figures from the Belgian Common Guarantee Fund show, however, that offenders are being identified more often. About 85% were traced in 2025, compared with 78% in 2016.
Vias said it plans to launch a study to examine the profile of hit-and-run offenders and understand why their number is not falling.
