Skip to Content
Streetsblog New York City home
Log In
Media Watch

NY1 Poll: 68% Correctly Believe Drivers Cause Most NYC Traffic Crashes

2:11 PM EDT on May 17, 2012

NY1 today announced the results of a traffic safety poll, conducted by Marist, which asked New Yorkers whom they blame for most city traffic crashes.

The results, as reported by the affable Roger Clark and Pat Kiernan: 68 percent of those polled city-wide believe motorists are responsible for the majority of crashes, 19 percent think cyclists cause the most collisions, and 13 percent say pedestrians are most often to blame.

In Manhattan, though drivers still lead at 59 percent, 31 percent of respondents cite cyclists as the number one danger on city streets, with pedestrians a distant third at 10 percent.

The fact that a huge majority of New Yorkers get that motorists pose the most danger could indicate support for improved enforcement by police and district attorneys. It helps that the public perception is supported by hard data.

In 2010, the city issued a report indicating that driver actions are the primary cause of 78.5 percent of crashes that killed or seriously injured pedestrians. As we reported, motorist inattention was a leading factor in 36 percent of such crashes, 27 percent involved failure to yield, and driver speed was cited in 20 percent of those incidents. A vast majority of serious crashes, 79 percent, were caused by the drivers of private vehicles.

Overall, according to DMV data [PDF], there were more than 78,000 car crashes, with over 77,000 people injured, in New York City in 2010. Meanwhile, the best available data on crashes involving only cyclists and pedestrians, collected from hospital records, shows that only 524 pedestrians were injured in bike collisions in the same year.

While the story is presented in a light-hearted way, Kiernan and Clark acknowledge that street safety is serious business. Which makes it somewhat curious that they reported this poll without comparing its results to readily-available data.

NY1 will be taking a closer look at the poll and street safety issues on "The Call" tonight. Streetsblog editor Ben Fried will be one of the guests on the program, which airs live at 9.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

Analysis: ‘Dangerous Vehicle Abatement Program’ is a Failure By All Measures

The Department of Transportation wants the Dangerous Vehicle Abatement Program to simply expire in part because it did not dramatically improve safety among these worst-of-the-worst drivers and led to a tiny number of vehicle seizures.

September 22, 2023

School Bus Driver Kills Cyclist in Boro Park, 24th Bike Death of 2023

Luis Perez-Ramirez, 44, was biking south on Fort Hamilton Parkway just before 3:15 p.m. when he was struck a by school bus driver making a right turn.

September 22, 2023

‘Betrayal’: Adams Caves to Opposition, Abandons Bus Improvement Plan on Fordham Road

The capitulation on Fordham Road is the latest episode in which the mayor has delayed or watered down a transportation project in deference to powerful interests.

September 22, 2023

Friday’s Headlines: Yes He Said Yes He Will Yes Edition

That headline above is a reference to the last line of James Joyce's Ulysses, which we won't pretend to have read. But we have that ... and other news.

September 22, 2023

Madness: Port Authority Will Spend $8.3M to ‘Study’ Widening Outerbridge Crossing

Will this $8.3 million find out anything we don't know about induced demand?

September 22, 2023
See all posts