Pedestrian Accidents in New York City: The Statistics

In a large, populated city with so many pedestrians, accidents are inevitable. The New York Transportation Department wants to work hard to eliminate as many pedestrian accidents in New York City as possible, which is why the department has conducted studies to look at trends in pedestrian collisions, injuries, and deaths. In the new generation of smart phones, most people are looking down at a screen while they are walking through the busy intersections of Manhattan. Even those who only cross at designated crosswalks when the lights indicate that pedestrians can walk are at risk as many vehicles do not obey traffic laws.

Recent studies show that most pedestrian accidents in Manhattan aren’t due to a negligent cab driver. In fact, only 13% of all pedestrian accidents in Manhattan are caused by cab drivers or liveries. Instead, 79% of all collisions involve private passenger cars and four percent of all accidents involve trucks. Three percent of all accidents involve buses. 16% of all serious crashes leading to injury or death involve taxi cabs. Research also shows that those who jaywalk are at a heightened risk to serious injury or death if involved in the crash, but are not at a heightened risk to actually being involved in an accident. Most pedestrian accidents happen at crosswalks when a pedestrian has the right of way.

Drivers who are not paying attention may still try to zoom through intersections. Most pedestrian accidents happen when a driver tries to make a left turn and zooms into the way of pedestrians that are crossing the street when they have the right of way. The Department of Transportation also claims that male drivers are most likely to get into accidents. If you have been involved in a pedestrian crash in New York City, contact a New York personal injury attorney at Greenberg & Stein today to discuss your case.