The number of hit-and-run traffic accidents in 2002 rose 12.6 percent from the previous year despite the enactment of a tougher law to punish reckless drivers, the National Police Agency said Thursday.

The increase was attributed primarily to a growing tendency among victims to file police reports even if only minor injuries are involved.

For the 10th straight year, the most oft-cited reason by hit-and-run perpetrators for fleeing the accident scene was that they had been drinking, the NPA said in a report submitted to the National Public Safety Commission.