1.
hit-and-run, hit-and-run accident
A traffic incident where a driver strikes a person or vehicle and flees the scene without stopping to help or identify themselves.
ひき逃げ事故があった。
There was a hit-and-run accident.
ひき逃げの犯人が逮捕された。
The hit-and-run perpetrator was arrested.
目撃者の情報のおかげで、ひき逃げの車が特定された。
Thanks to witness information, the hit-and-run vehicle was identified.
FORMATION:
ひき (轢き, from 轢く "to run over") + 逃げ (from 逃げる "to flee"). Literally "run over and flee."
LEGAL CONTEXT:
ひき逃げ is a serious crime in Japan. Penalties are more severe than for accidents where the driver remains at the scene. It is also called 救護義務違反 (failure to fulfill the duty to assist).
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- ひき逃げ事故: hit-and-run accident
- ひき逃げ犯: hit-and-run offender
- ひき逃げにあう: to be the victim of a hit-and-run