According to data from the Road Safety Observatory (OSV), between January and June 2026 hit-and-runs caused 71 deaths and 92 injured. The figures come from media reports, digital channels and emergency road calls.
The OSV warned that this represents an undercount and that the actual number of victims could be higher. Cases of pedestrians hit by vehicles remained a constant factor among the leading causes of road accidents in the country during the first semester.
The observatory recorded 13 deaths in January and 6 injured, while February and March documented 13 and 14 deaths respectively. In February, 60% of the pedestrians killed by hit-and-runs were people over 65 years old. April tallied 7 deaths and 23 injured, while May registered the highest number of fatalities with 15 deaths and 14 injured. June closed with 9 deaths and 14 injured.
Rosibel González, coordinator of the OSV, emphasised that current indicators place pedestrians in a situation of extreme vulnerability. "The figures from the first semester confirmed the total defenselessness in which our pedestrians travel," she said. González detailed that the cases involve people of different ages, with an alarming increase in the child and elderly populations.
González questioned holding only the pedestrian responsible for their own safety, citing structural deficiencies, absence of traffic signals and scarce driver oversight as factors influencing accident rates. She called on the relevant institutions to reactivate traffic lights, mark pedestrian crossings and strengthen speed supervision on major thoroughfares.