A lack of auto insurance may be fueling an epidemic of hit-and-run occurrences in Fla., according to the Bradenton Herald.

The Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) reports there were 78,000 hit-and-run crashes in the state in 2013—an 8% increase from 2012. These crashes involve people leaving the scene of an accident causing injury or property damage, says the Herald. These incidents caused more than 17,000 injuries and 154 deaths, according to the FHP.

Lynne McChristian of the Insurance Information Institute believes there could be a correlation between those findings and the fact that one in four drivers in Florida aren't insured, says the Herald. "They bolt when they have an accident because they are already breaking the law by not having insurance, and then they have caused an accident on top of it," says McChristian.

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