Worcestershire has been named the hit-and-run capital of the West Mercia Police force area, accounting for more than half of all incidents.
Fresh data reveals that the county recorded the highest number of such incidents across the region over a three-year period. The force area covers Worcestershire, Herefordshire and Shropshire.
Figures obtained under a Freedom of Information request show that West Mercia Police recorded more than 2,000 hit-and-run collisions between 2023 and 2025, covering cases where drivers failed to remain at the scene.
Worcestershire accounted for more than half of the total, with 1,115 incidents over the three years.
Tracy Chick, a solicitor on the No Win No Fee Lawyers Direct panel, said: “Fleeing the scene of an accident is an act of sheer cowardice, and these figures expose a terrifying culture of drivers shirking their responsibilities on our roads.
“Behind every injury statistic is a victim who has been left in shock, often facing mounting medical bills, lost wages, and severe trauma, while the person responsible speeds off into the distance.
“The sheer volume of these incidents means thousands of people are being left to pick up the pieces alone.”
The data covered cases in Herefordshire, Shropshire, and Worcestershire, and included damage-only collisions which made up 1,345 of the 2,001 recorded cases.
The worst year for hit-and-runs was 2024, when incidents across the West Mercia force area rose from 450 in 2023 to 924.
A total of 627 incidents were recorded for 2025, marking a decrease from the previous year.
A significant proportion of the total were non-injury cases, but hundreds of people did suffer harm.
There were 531 cases of slight injuries, with numbers rising from 158 in 2023 to 193 in 2024.
In 2025, the figure dropped slightly to 180.
More concerning was the rise in serious injuries.
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There were 28 in 2023, 46 in 2024, and 48 in 2025, making 122 life-changing injuries over the three years.
Three people were killed in hit-and-run collisions, with one fatality recorded in each of the three West Mercia counties.
Worcestershire saw a dramatic spike in offences in 2024, with cases rising from 174 in 2023 to 528, before dropping to 413 in 2025.
The county recorded 62 serious casualties and 257 slight injuries, alongside 795 damage-only incidents.
It also recorded one fatality in 2024.
Shropshire had the second-highest number of incidents with 569 hit-and-runs.
Herefordshire had the lowest number of hit-and-runs with 317 over the three-year period.
However, it too saw tragedy, with a fatal hit-and-run in 2023.
We have approached West Mercia Police for comment.