Record-Breaking Number of New Yorkers Killed or Seriously Injured in the First Nine Months of 2024, New Data from Transportation Alternatives and Families for Safe Streets Shows
Traffic violence has killed a New Yorker every 34 hours this year.
Every week, 17 pedestrians lose limbs, organs, or suffer other life-changing serious injuries.
Throughout 2024, a New Yorker has been killed or seriously injured in a traffic crash almost every day in the congestion relief zone.
NEW YORK — During the first nine months of 2024, traffic crashes killed 193 people and seriously injured another 2,338 more, according to a new analysis from Transportation Alternatives and Families for Safe Streets. This is more fatalities than eight of the last 10 years, and this public health crisis has cost New Yorkers more than $5 billion so far this year.
Thanks to newly available data due to a 2021 bill in the City Council legislative changes, Transportation Alternatives and Families for Safe Streets are now able to track every serious injury in New York City since 2022, when data became publicly available. Serious injuries are counted by the New York City Department of Transportation and defined by New York’s serious injury threshold, a strict criteria that includes New Yorkers who have lost a fetus or permanently lost an organ or limb, among other life-altering injuries. This past quarter has been the worst quarter so far in New York City, with traffic violence seriously injuring 909 New Yorkers. There have been 10% more serious injuries in 2024 than by the same point in 2022.
“The status quo is killing and seriously injuring our neighbors, and Mayor Adams and our city’s leaders are failing to protect New Yorkers in all five boroughs from deadly traffic violence,” said Elizabeth Adams, Interim Co-Executive Director of Transportation Alternatives. “The data from the first nine months of 2024 shows clearly what inaction looks like: 193 people dead and 2,338 people left with life-altering injuries. We know it doesn’t have to be this way. We need Governor Hochul to get cars and trucks off our streets by starting congestion pricing. We need Mayor Adams to get the NYC Streets Plan back on track. We need the City Council to advance legislation to daylight every single intersection in our city. This work isn’t easy, and it will take political will to get done, but it will save lives."
"I lost my 29-year-old son Philipe Haussmann on August 20 when he was hit by a box truck as he was riding his motorcycle on his way to work in Bushwick, Brooklyn. Philippe's sudden, violent death leaves behind a devastated community, including his identical twin and best friend Alex," said Families for Safe Streets Member Joann Perahia. "My son should be with us today. He is not because of our city's failure to prioritize safe street design in our city. We must have the courage to implement changes to our streets that make them safe for everyone so that no family has to endure the horrible journey that mine has just begun."
Key takeaways from the first quarter of 2024:
The only public-facing map of all serious injuries, created by Transportation Alternatives and Families for Safe Streets, is available here.
Serious injuries from traffic violence are at record-breaking levels under the Adams administration. Traffic violence has seriously injured 2,338 New Yorkers so far in 2024, and year-to-date serious injuries are up 10% from 2022. It’s hit the Bronx and Queens especially hard: in the Bronx, there are 20% more serious injuries per capita than citywide, and in Queens, serious injuries are up 35% from 471 in 2022 to 635 in 2024. The only public-facing map of all serious injuries, created by Transportation Alternatives and Families for Safe Streets, is available here.
Every week, 17 pedestrians lose limbs, organs, or suffer other life-changing serious injuries. In the first nine months of 2024, 645 pedestrians were seriously injured in New York City. This is a 13% increase from the same period in 2023, and a significant increase in four of the five boroughs. Compared to 2023, 10% more pedestrians were seriously injured in the Bronx, 16% more in Manhattan, 20% more in Brooklyn, and 21% more in Queens. This crisis – the staggering number of pedestrian fatalities and serious injuries – has a comprehensive cost reaching almost $2 billion in New York City.
In 2024, a New Yorker has been killed or seriously injured in a traffic crash in the congestion pricing zone almost every day so far. This year, traffic violence has killed 16 New Yorkers – up 45% from last year – and seriously injured 226 people in the congestion pricing zone. The congestion pricing zone, which has the most vehicle traffic in the city, also has a disproportionate share of pedestrian fatalities: City Council District 1 has the most dangerous streets for pedestrians, with six pedestrian fatalities so far this year; tied for second-most is District 2, with five – last year, these two districts had only four pedestrian fatalities combined.
During the first nine months of 2024, only 2% of fatalities happened on streets with speed limits below 25 mph. Slower streets like neighborhood slow zones, school zones, Open Streets, and Shared Streets are safe streets – and with the recent passage of Sammy’s Law, New York City has the opportunity to reduce the speed limit on most city streets from 25 mph to 20 mph. Implementation began earlier this month and must continue to expand quickly. Slower speeds save lives; only 9.5% of New York City’s streets have a speed limit of 30 mph or above, yet 28% of the year's fatalities happened on those streets.
Traffic violence is killing and seriously injuring bike riders on streets without safe infrastructure. In the first nine months of 2024, 19 bike riders were killed and 338 were seriously injured in traffic crashes. Bike riders were repeatedly killed or seriously injured on streets without bicycle safety infrastructure; 84% of deaths and 86% of serious injuries were on streets without protected bike lanes.
New Yorkers are being killed at intersections without daylighting. Of the 88 pedestrians killed in the first nine months of 2024, 88% were killed at intersections with no daylighting at all to protect them, and 92% were killed at intersections with no physical daylighting, such as a bike rack, cement block, or planter.
Here’s what our elected officials must do to address this crisis:
Governor Hochul must start congestion pricing. Congestion pricing was set to reduce car and truck traffic citywide and by as much as 17% in Manhattan’s central business district — until Governor Hochul “indefinitely paused” the program nearly four months ago, robbing New Yorkers of the reduced traffic that would have prevented crashes and saved lives. With fewer cars in the congestion pricing zone, there will be fewer crashes leading to fewer serious injuries and fatalities. While the governor’s unlawful action is currently being challenged in the courts, she can undo the mess she created by reversing her decision today.
Mayor Adams must implement Sammy’s Law to the fullest extent possible. Sammy’s Law gave the City of New York the power to lower speed limits to 20 mph on streets across the five boroughs. While the first set of speed limit reductions is underway, Mayor Adams must direct DOT to quickly expand the scope of speed limit reductions. Excluding crashes on highways, 89% of pedestrian fatalities in the first three quarters of 2024 occurred on streets that are eligible for speed reductions under Sammy’s Law; the City must expand its implementation to save more lives and prevent more crashes.
New York City must prioritize safety over parking and daylight every intersection. Repurposing the parking spots closest to an intersection to improve visibility — a practice known as daylighting — is proven to make intersections safer for people walking, biking, and driving. New York State bans parking within 20 feet of intersections — but New York City has overridden this law, allowing parking right up to the crosswalk. This exemption must be repealed, and daylighting must be implemented at every intersection in the five boroughs.
**Note: These numbers have been pulled and compiled by TA, and were confirmed by DOT as of October 18.
