Hit-and-run ‘scourge’ averages one incident per day in Portugal
Three cyclists and a 10-year-old boy were injured in two separate hit-and-run incidents in areas around the capital yesterday. Reports cite the worrying trend that has reached an average of one hit-and-run horror per day.
Three cyclists were injured early yesterday morning when a red Seat Ibiza ploughed into them on the Marginal coastal stretch near Praia da Torre, between Oeiras and Carcavelos, leaving two unconscious on the tarmac.
The two were stablised at the scene, and transported in neck-braces to hospital. One will have to undergo surgery for the reconstruction of his/ her ear. The third member of the cycling team has told SIC Notícias that he has been advised to use crutches for the next two weeks, although he has no broken bones.
The driver of the Seat Ibiza did not stop (as is demanded by law), and the area where the cyclists were run over has no CCTV cover. However, police are going through images from areas nearby around the time of the incident, to see if they can identify the vehicle. According to an eye witness, the Seat Ibiza has a broken rear view mirror.
Much later in the day, a 10-year-old boy was mowed down by a motorcyclist who also did not stop in the Casal de Mira neighbourhood in Amadora. The child was stablised and transported in a serious condition to Santa Maria Hospital.
Police now are trying to ‘localise and identify’ the suspect.
Both these incidents are part of an increasing pattern developing in Portugal. The ‘hit-and-run’ is now no longer a rarity: reports suggest there is one every day, leaving authorities with the arduous task of trying to track down perpetrators.
But the issue of accidents victimising cyclists is another worrying phenomenonm which associations like MUBI (the association for urban cycling mobility) also blame on a lack of investment in roads.
Late last year the cycling fraternity hoped that the death of Pedro Sobral, a well-known figure in the literary world – also at the hands of a hit-and-run driver, who four hours later handed himself in to police, in the company of his lawyer – would prompt changes, but within days of Sobral’s death, other tragedies were being reported, and the situation essentially remains every bit as dangerous for cyclists as it was before.
SIC Notícias last night reported that 2024 registered no less than 373 cases of hit-and-runs across the country. A petition has already gathered the necessary signatures to force a debate in parliament on increasing penalties. Right now, an unintentional collision can be punished with imprisonment for up to one year or a fine of up to 120 days. This can be increased to two years and a fine of up to 240 days if the consequences are serious. Hit-and-run offences can also be punished with up to two years in prison.
When determining the penalty, judges also have to take into account whether the offender was driving dangerously, for example under the influence of alcohol/ drugs. In this case, the offender could be punished with up to three years in prison.
The judge’s final decision depends on the sum of the various factors involved. Penalties are cumulative – and in the event of death (which in the case of cyclists happens all too often) the offence can become homicide by omission, with a prison sentence of between eight and 16 years.
The horror of the hit-and-run mentality was brought into sharp focus recently when a so-called ‘famous influencer’ revealed during a podcast that he had hit a pedestrian with his car on a rainy night in Amadora, and kept on driving. Recounting the incident, both influencer and podcast host appeared to think the story was highly amusing. This changed after the victim of the hit-and-run came forwards, and the accident report, archived through lack of evidence, was reopened. ND
Source material: SIC Notícias
