Skip to Content
Streetsblog New York City home
Streetsblog New York City home
Log In
Car Culture

Motor Vehicles Leading Cause of NYC Child Injury Deaths

crossing_street.jpg

According to a new study out from the city's Department of Health, children in New York are seven times less likely than children nationwide to die as car passengers. That's the good news, likely the result of the fact that our kids spend a lot less time in cars than most American children.

The bad news is that motor vehicles are still the leading cause of accidental child deaths in New York City; 85 percent of motor-vehicle-related deaths involved children who were pedestrians.

Here are some interesting highlights from the study, which covers the years 2001 through 2005:

    • Driver error alone was cited most frequently (39%) as the main contributing factor; pedestrian error alone was cited 29% of the time; and in 17% of cases both driver and pedestrian error contributed. (DOT had no police report information to determine contributing factor for 9% of cases and contributing factor was unknown in 7% of cases.)
    • African American children represented 49% of all motor vehicle deaths even though they are only 29% of the City's child population aged one to 12.
    • Boys accounted for nearly twice as many motor vehicle deaths as girls (64% vs. 34%).
    • Among the five boroughs, child death rates were highest in Brooklyn and Queens and lowest in Manhattan.
    • Children playing in the street, or darting out from between parked cars were common factors in child pedestrian deaths.
    • More than a third of child-pedestrian deaths involved light trucks, half of which were SUVs.
    • Half of child-pedestrian deaths occurred within 700 feet of a school, nearly all during the evenings, weekends, and summer.

The report suggests that parents educate their children about safe places to play, but it also suggests some infrastructure and legislative measures:

    • Expanding the transportation infrastructure to include more crosswalks and speed bumps, and working to ensure that all kids live within a 10-minute walk of a park or playground.
    • Creating a traffic safety website and launching a citywide awareness campaign.
    • Supporting state legislation to mandate cross-over mirrors for large commercial trucks.

You can download the full report here (PDF).

Photo: Vidiot via Flickr 

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

NJ’s Plan to Widen the Turnpike Can Really Break Your Heart

"I've lived in a lot of places and all of them have had neighborhoods destroyed by turnpike expansion. New Jersey is no exception," said one activist.

June 2, 2025

Car Harms Monday: ‘Gridlock Sam’ Says We Have Lost Our Lives to the Automobile

Take it from the former head of the city's Department of Traffic: If we restore valuable public space to the people, the result will be a healthier, happier, and more humane city.

June 2, 2025

Monday’s Headlines: Critical Mass of Rage Against the NYPD Edition

Scores of New Yorkers rode on Friday to protest the Police Department's criminal crackdown on cyclists. Plus other news.

Talking Headways Podcast: Bike Guides to Build Your City

Let's talk bike lane design guides, the importance of history, political will, and the stress of being an expert witness in court.

June 2, 2025

Cyclist: Cop Pulled a Taser During Summons Chase

In a dramatic escalation of the NYPD's criminal crackdown on bike riders, a police officer pulled a stun gun while chasing a cyclist for allegedly running a red light on a regular bike.

May 30, 2025
See all posts