FOI 825/25

Request

Please provide the following data for each calendar year from 2019 to 2025 (inclusive):

1. The total number of recorded road traffic collisions identified as “fail to stop collisions” or “fail to stop RTCs”.
2. A breakdown of these incidents by:
• Year/Month
• Outcome (e.g. suspect identified, suspect charged, no suspect traced)
• Whether any injuries were recorded (if available, broken down by severity: minor, serious, fatal)
3. The number of individuals arrested or charged in connection with hit-and-run incidents each year.
4. The number of hit-and-run incidents involving:
• A pedestrian
• A cyclist
• Another motor vehicle
• Other road users (e.g. motorbike, scooter)
5. Where recorded, please provide:
• The age and gender of the victim(s) involved in each incident.
• The age and gender of any identified or charged suspect(s) (perpetrators).

Response

Your request for information has now been considered and I am not obliged to supply the information you have requested.       

In relation to your request, the following exemption applies:

Section 12 – Exemption where cost of compliance exceeds appropriate limit.

We consulted with our Justice Services Department who have advised that the data you have requested is not routinely collated in the format that would easily answer your query, therefore, to accurately answer your request we would need to individually interrogate 7069 occurrences.

Whilst I cannot quantify exactly how long this would take it would most certainly exceed the 18 hours stipulated by the regulations. 

It is estimated that the cost of providing you with the information is above the amount to which we are legally required to respond i.e. the cost of locating and retrieving the information exceeds the "appropriate level" as stated in the Freedom of Information (Fees and Appropriate Limit) Regulations 2004.

In the case of the police service, the appropriate limit is £450 which has been calculated to equate to a total of 18 hours of work.

If any part of the request exceeds the fees limit, then Section 12 applies to the whole request.

In accordance with the Freedom of Information Act 2000, this letter acts as a refusal notice.

Excess cost removes the forces obligation under the Freedom of Information Act, however under Section 16 – Duty to provide advice and assistance, an authority is required to offer an applicant the opportunity to redefine their request within the cost limit. Unfortunately, due to the way in which data is recorded, we can see no feasible way in which you could refine your request.