Skip to Content
Streetsblog New York City home
Streetsblog New York City home
Log In
Christine Quinn

NYC Open Data Law Will Sort Out NYPD’s Jumbled Traffic Crash Data

...and as it appears in NYPD's data dump.

When the City Council passed Jessica Lappin's Saving Lives Through Better Information bill last year, traffic safety and open government advocates cheered. Under the law, the NYPD is required to provide monthly data on both traffic crashes and traffic summonsing, shedding light on the hazards of city streets and what steps police take to protect New Yorkers from dangerous drivers.

The information the NYPD finally provided under that law turned out to be informative -- showing, for example, that the police hand out more than twice as many tickets for seat belt violations than for speeding -- but formatted in a clunky way almost guaranteed to stymie people looking to analyze the data systematically. The data is released as PDF files: not mappable, not sortable, and not even easy to search.

New Yorkers may finally be getting access to the high-quality traffic data they are entitled to, however, thanks to a wide-ranging open data law passed by the City Council. In general, any data that could be obtained under a Freedom of Information Law request would be proactively released under the new policy, according to the Gotham Gazette.

In announcing the passage of the open data law, City Council Speaker Christine Quinn specifically highlighted the need for better traffic data. "While we can currently get this data, it is not in an open format," Quinn said in a press release. "It cannot be sorted by community board, by frequency of accidents or by contributing factor. Being able to analyze this information will help us to better target safety efforts, utilize resources and save lives.”

At the press conference announcing the bill's passage, Quinn specifically cited her inability to see where crashes had taken place on Ninth Avenue in her district using the NYPD's current data.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

The ‘Problem’ With E-Bikes? The Super Fast Illegal Ones

New Yorkers are riding illegal vehicles marketed as e-bikes with little to no-consequences, and it's a safety problem.

October 21, 2025

The ‘War on Cars’ Is Worth Fighting — And Here’s What Life Might Look Like When We Win

A first book from the prolific podcast hosts offers a solid foundation for would-be advocates against automobility — and some new ammunition for veterans.

October 21, 2025

Tuesday’s Headlines: Carnage All Over Edition

Monday's papers were a blood tide of crashes. Plus other news.

October 21, 2025

‘Outrage’: Pols — And Even DOT Boss — Protest Trump’s Block on 34th St. Busway

A huge rally in Midtown to urge President Trump to get his meathooks off our transit included DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez, who is poised to capitulate.

October 20, 2025

Monday’s Headlines: Uncharted Territory Edition

"No Kings" means hands off our busway. Plus the news.

October 20, 2025

More Tantrums: City Halts 34th Street Busway After Threat from Trump DOT

The feds threatened to cut city and state funding if New York doesn't halt all work on the 34th Street busway so the FHWA can review the project.

October 17, 2025
See all posts