Police warn against hit and run crashes

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTHI) - Thanksgiving means traffic will only get heavier this weekend.

Indiana State Police want to lower the number of hit and run accidents.

This year, in the Wabash Valley alone, there have been 572 hit and run accidents, injuring 47 and killing four people.

Across Indiana, almost 20,000 drivers were involved in hit and run accidents, killing 30 people.

"You have the audacity to leave a crash and leave someone injured by the side of the road and not even check them. To me that is a terrible example to set, it's against the law and it's against basic human principle," Indiana State Police Public Information Officer Sergeant Joe Watts said.

The main reasons drivers leave an accident include not having a driver's license, being impaired, wanted by police or not having car insurance.

If you're a victim, police say,  take care of your injuries, gather your thoughts, look at the suspect's vehicle, dial 911 and get out of the roadway, if you can.