The British Virgin Islands has recorded an increase in ‘hit and run’ accidents with 17 recorded over the last two months.
This is according to Police Inspector George Mason of the Royal Virgin Islands Police Force, who made the disclosure during an interview with our news station yesterday.
Inspector Mason who is responsible for the Road Policing Unit revealed that between the months of July and August, there were some 132 accidents recorded in the territory.
Of that number, a total of 17 hit and run accidents were reported.
He said, “In July there were 62 accidents reported. However we’ve seen 57 of those accidents were minor, 4 with injuries and there was one serious with injury. However, there were 6 hit and run accidents in that instance.”
“Now in August, there were 70 reported cases of accidents, 7 of those were accidents with injuries, 63 of those were minor accidents and 11 of those were hit and run accidents. So thereby we can see that there was an increase between July and August of this year,” he added.
Fines only up to $100
Inspector Mason also revealed the serious nature of such an incident, which he said carries a fine of up to $100.
He also appealed to residents who witnessed any such incident to report the matter to the nearest police station.
“Under Section 40, any persons who involved in a motor vehicle accident fail to stop at that accident scene or report, whether they hit someone, or hit another vehicle or it can be an animal – it can be goat, it can be a cattle, it can be a sheep – if you fail to report that accident you can be charged for such an offense,” he stated.
“Now under that Section, if you go before the court and are convicted, you can be charged up to $100. However, what I’m appealing to the public is if you’ve seen or have any information in relation to whether it is a vehicle or even property damage, report it to the police. We do not want this to hit home where some member or family may be affected or even your property might be affected,” Inspector Mason explained.
All 17 hit and runs still unsolved
The head of the Road Policing Unit further revealed that to date, the force is yet to apprehend any of the perpetrators involved in the 17 hit and run accidents.
Persons with any information that can assist with solving any of the hit and run accidents can contact the Royal Virgin Islands Police Force at 368-5411 or 5335 or 5341.