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Florida one of worst states in U.S. for hit-and-run fatalities | Thumb down

Better watch out on our local roadways — particularly if you're traveling on foot or by bike.

A new study from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety reports fatal hit-and-run crashes have surged nationwide — and Florida is one of the worst states in the union for such accidents.

Hit-and-run crashes killed 2,049 people nationwide in 2016, according to the report. More than 10 percent of those fatalities — 206 — were in Florida, third behind only California (337) and Texas (233).

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On a per-capita basis, New Mexico, Louisiana and Florida had the highest rates of hit-and-run fatalities.

The 2,049 deaths in 2016 were the highest number on record, according to the study, and represented a 60 percent increase since 2009. The report found most victims of fatal hit-and-run crashes are pedestrians or bicyclists. Indeed, over the past 10 years, nearly 20 percent of all pedestrian deaths were caused by hit-and-run crashes.

It is, of course, illegal for a driver involved in a crash to flee the scene, but that hasn't stopped the number of hit-and-run accidents, or fatalities, from rising.