Vision Zero in Crisis: 2021 Was Deadliest Summer Since Mayor De Blasio Took Office
Record Number of Traffic Deaths – 77 Killed in Crashes – From June to August 2021
Through the first nine months of the year, 2021 on track to be deadliest overall of Mayor de Blasio’s tenure
De Blasio-era records shattered for traffic deaths in Brooklyn and among motorists and passengers citywide in first nine months of 2021
More delivery workers killed in first nine months of 2021 than all of 2020
Transportation Alternatives to launch new series of Your City, Your Voice trainings beginning October 19 to help local residents be strong advocates for safe, accessible, healthy streets in their neighborhoods
NEW YORK — Summer 2021 was the deadliest summer since Mayor de Blasio took office, according to a new data analysis released by Transportation Alternatives and Families for Safe Streets today. Fatal crashes killed 77 New Yorkers from June to August. Looking at data from the first nine months of 2021, New York City is on track to have the deadliest year on our streets of the de Blasio-era. De Blasio-era records have also been shattered for traffic deaths in Brooklyn, as well as among motorists and passengers.
“New Yorkers need a mayor who can prevent cars from killing babies in strollers and essential workers on bikes,” said Danny Harris, Executive Director of Transportation Alternatives. “With fatal crashes reaching record levels under his term, Mayor de Blasio has squandered the success he achieved on street safety. Our next mayor must prioritize and fast track our path to Vision Zero. The next mayor must immediately take steps to reduce driving, including redesigning dangerous corridors and building streets that prevent speeding and take the most reckless drivers off the road. No more empty promises, statements, or blame games. New Yorkers need a mayor who puts people first and ensures our streets are a pathway to a safe, equitable, and resilient recovery.”
““It has been over eight years since my 24-year-old daughter was killed by a reckless driver in a violent two-car crash that took three young lives and seriously injured three others,” said Families for Safe Streets member Jane Lavaud. “We are incredibly disappointed with the Mayor’s lack of leadership to save lives on our streets. More New Yorkers are dying because Mayor de Blasio has failed to expand the significant early success of Vision Zero. New York City has the tools. Our Mayor has not used them. The next administration must be bolder in expanding Vision Zero to every neighborhood and combating the public health crisis of traffic violence. Our hearts break every time we hear of another neighbor, parent, or child killed in a crash. We cannot spend the next eight years attending vigil after vigil without the action needed to save lives.”
OVERALL: In summer 2021, crashes killed 77 individuals, making it the deadliest summer of any year under Mayor de Blasio. Through the end of September, crashes killed 199 individuals, making the first three quarters of 2021 the deadliest first three quarters of any year in the de Blasio-era.
New York City reached 200 fatalities for the year on October 2, the earliest point in the calendar year to do so in the de Blasio-era. In 2018, it took until December 20 to reach 200 fatalities. Other than 2014, no other year reached this grim milestone before November.
Drivers have killed more than 1,800 individuals since Mayor de Blasio took office. Even before the pandemic, traffic violence was rising. Pedestrian deaths increased year-over-year in 2018 and 2019. Cyclist deaths nearly tripled from 2018 to 2019. The rolling 12 month fatality count, a way to look at more long-term trends, has been increasing since September 2018 except for a few months under the COVID-related PAUSE in Spring 2020.
This year, the numbers continue to rise – partially fueled by a speeding epidemic and dangerous rise in SUV ownership – and are reaching grim milestones:
BROOKLYN: While traffic violence is increasing across New York City, the sharpest and most alarming increase has been in Brooklyn. In summer 2021, crashes killed 23 individuals in Brooklyn, making it the deadliest summer in Brooklyn of any year under Mayor de Blasio. The first three quarters of 2021 have been the deadliest first three quarters of the year in Brooklyn both overall and specifically for pedestrians since Mayor de Blasio took office too. The total fatalities through the end of September is 63, a full 40 percent higher than the de Blasio-era average by this point in the year.
Drilling down further reveals just how serious the traffic violence epidemic is in Brooklyn in 2021.
Brooklyn has had more fatalities in the first nine months of this year than it did for all twelve months of 2020, 2018, 2017, and 2016.
Brooklyn has had more pedestrian fatalities than it did for all of 2020 and 2017.
Brooklyn has had more motorist and passenger fatalities than all of 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, and ties for 2020. In fact, there have been more motorist and passenger fatalities in the first nine months of 2021 than in all of 2015 and 2016 combined.
One reason for the skyrocketing number of fatalities in Brooklyn can be traced to the skyrocketing number of SUVs in the borough. According to a previous Transportation Alternatives report, the number of SUVs owned by Brooklynites increased by 25 percent from 2016 to 2020. According to theNational Highway Transportation Safety Administration, pedestrians struck by SUVs are 2.5 to 3 times more likely to be killed (and child pedestrians are as much as four times as likely)
MOTORISTS AND PASSENGERS IN CARS: In summer 2021, crashes killed 42 motorists and passengers in cars, deadlier than any other summer in the de Blasio era. This is 147 percent more fatalities than the safest summer, 2016, which had only seventeen motorist and passenger fatalities. Through September 30, 88 motorists and passengers were killed in traffic violence, 66 percent more than by this point in 2016. In July, every borough except for Queens either tied or broke records for most motorist and passenger fatalities for a July since Mayor de Blasio took office.
PEDESTRIANS: In summer 2021, crashes killed 24 pedestrians. More Manhattan pedestrians, eleven, were killed in the summer of 2021 than the previous three summers combined. Through September 30, 90 pedestrians were killed in traffic violence citywide.
CYCLISTS: In summer 2021, crashes killed seven cyclists. Through September 30, crashes have killed thirteen cyclists. As of September 30, nearly half of all fatalities citywide have been in the Bronx.
DELIVERY WORKERS: According to the Workers Justice Project, crashes have killed ten delivery workers riding bikes, ebikes, or scooters in the first nine months of 2021 – more than the total number of delivery workers killed, seven, in all of 2020.
"Ten Deliveristas have lost their lives while performing the essential work of delivering food and other goods to New Yorkers across the city. Despite being recognized as essential workers, Deliveristas have been denied basic workers’ rights and are continuously treated as disposable labor. Workers Justice Project (WJP) members formed Los Deliveristas Unidos, a powerful grassroots movement of app-based delivery workers defending their humanity and fighting for their rights to have better working conditions and safety on the streets. NYC must deliver justice to Los Deliveristas by making sure these cases are thoroughly investigated, make people accountable, and provide closure to their families. The fight continues.” said Hildalyn Colon Hernandez, Director of the Policy & Strategic Partnerships for Los Deliveristas/WJP.
In response to record-breaking carnage on New York City streets, Transportation Alternatives is launching a new series of Your City, Your Voice virtual trainings. These trainings are free and open to the public and aim to inspire and grow grassroots activism to achieve safe, accessible, healthy streets in neighborhoods across the five boroughs. Later in October, Transportation Alternatives is hosting the seventh annual Vision Zero Cities conference, a virtual event open to the public that brings together experts, policy-makers, and advocates to exchange ideas to make streets safe, equitable, and resilient across the globe.
Transportation Alternatives and Families for Safe Streets are calling for City Hall and our city’s next leaders to immediately enact life-saving measures on our streets – including taking steps to implement NYC 25x25, a plan to give back 25 percent of NYC’s streetspace to people, not cars.
What the Next Administration Must Do
New York City’s next mayor must recommit to Vision Zero. They must implement proactive changes to save lives on our streets rather than reactive measures imposed only after tragedies. They must prioritize comprehensive citywide street redesign over police traffic enforcement. New York City’s next mayor must also provide sufficient resources to NYC DOT so it can implement the Streets Master Plan and acquire contractors and materials to reach the required street redesign goals. Immediately upon taking office, the next mayor should make progress toward street redesign goals of the Streets Master Plan with quick builds and pilots for expanded pedestrian space, protected bike lanes, and dedicated bus lanes.
Most importantly, the next administration must prioritize people over private vehicles. To date, more than 200 local organizations have signed on to Transportation Alternatives’ NYC 25x25 challenge, calling on the next mayor to convert 25 percent of space for cars into space for people by 2025. This vision is proven to help address air quality, climate change, economic inequality, and will also be a key way to reach Vision Zero. Fewer cars means fewer deadly, multi-ton machines on our roads. More car-free spaces means less conflicts between cars and vulnerable road users. Expanded sidewalks will lead to narrower travel lanes, requiring drivers to move at slower speeds. Our next mayor must combat the harm that cars inflict upon New Yorkers. They must put streets to better use than prioritizing the movement and storage of lethal multi-ton vehicles.
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