The red pick-up truck which violently smashed into another vehicle before speeding away last December has been identified. The license number is T-9748.
The truck was spotted driving east on Bay Street before turning south onto Nassau Street. The truck had three occupants in the front seat just as it did when the driver of the truck committed the hit and run accident on the 10th of December, last year.
This time the truck was also carrying several passengers in the back cargo area of the truck, which may be in violation of the new seat belt laws as well.
It is expected that police will take an aggressive position on this case since hit-and-run accidents have risen by nearly 50 per cent in the Bahamas over the past year. Traffic Superintendent Burkie Wright has noted an “upward spiral” of incidents resulting from reckless driving.
Mr. Wright said that the number of hit-and-run accidents investigated by the police went up from 190 in 2003 to 284 in 2004.
According to Supt. Wright the total number of accidents in New Providence alone went up from 1,288 in 2002 to 2,180 in 2003.
In 2003 there were 441 accidents resulting in injury and 35 traffic fatalities. Both these figures rose in 2004 to a total of 706 accidents resulting in injury and 46 in death.
