Continuity mistake: When Phil has the groundhog in the truck at the quarry and is about to drive over the edge, Rita's hair is disheveled and sticking out all around her head. But after Phil has driven off the cliff and she's looking down, it's all pinned neatly in place.
Visible crew/equipment: After Phil drives the truck off the cliff, and it explodes in a burst of flames, there is a shot of Andie MacDowell and Chris Elliot staring in shock at the disaster. The two actors are bathed in an orange glow supposedly coming from the flaming wreckage. But in the lens of the TV camera Elliot is holding, there is a noticeable reflection of the lighting equipment used to create the glow effect on the actors. (01:04:15)
Continuity mistake: When Phil comes around the corner, just before meeting Ned, there are two women walking together in the background. The one in blue is holding a yellow sign upside down that says Phil (the groundhog, not the character). The first 3 days in a row they are together as they should be. On the fourth day and every day thereafter the woman in blue is by herself which does not follow the exact day sequences. (00:21:25 - 00:35:25)
Continuity mistake: When Ned first calls out to Phil, the Gift Shoppe store behind him has a sign in the display window saying "OPEN SUNDAYS 12 to 4", and a white poster in the door window. The remaining three times Ned calls out to Phil with that background, the Open Sunday sign is gone, and the poster in the door has changed to a smaller red sign. Also, vehicle positions have changed slightly, and the black truck's tire sidewall on the left changes position between first and remaining scenes. (00:10:20 - 00:21:25)
Continuity mistake: When the truck goes off the cliff in the quarry, we see it falling in a close shot, then it changes to a wider shot, except the driver's side mirror in the close shot is folded out, while in the wider shot it is folded in. The powder on the tires is also different. (01:03:20)
Continuity mistake: In the opening scene Phil is doing a weather report and is wearing a wireless mic on his vest. When they go off-air he jumps up and two seconds later the wireless mic is gone, neither on his vest or in his hands. Taking off both the mic and the transmitter would take longer than two seconds. (00:02:30)
Chosen answer: As you stated, it's never addressed as to whether or not he attempted to leave town. Phil lived through many more days than is shown in the film, so it's possible he left at some point, though there's little reason for him to do so because he wouldn't get far, and, when he wakes up the next morning, he'll be right back in the town.
raywest ★