NYPD: 15,465 Pedestrians and Cyclists Injured, 155 Killed in Traffic in 2012

Preliminary NYPD data on motor vehicle crashes, pedestrian and cyclist deaths, and pedestrian and cyclist injuries citywide in 2012.

Over 15,000 pedestrians and cyclists were injured in New York City traffic in 2012, and 155 were killed, according to NYPD data reports compiled by Streetsblog.

It must be emphasized that this is preliminary data. The final numbers from the state Department of Motor Vehicles don’t usually surface until well into the following year.

Across the city in 2012, 136 pedestrians and 19 cyclists were fatally struck by motorists: 38 pedestrians and three cyclists in Manhattan; 17 pedestrians and two cyclists in the Bronx; 41 pedestrians and seven cyclists in Brooklyn; 34 pedestrians and six cyclists in Queens; and six pedestrians and one cyclist in Staten Island.

With 48 deaths, Brooklyn saw the most pedestrian and cyclist fatalities, followed by Manhattan with 41, Queens with 40, the Bronx with 19, and Staten Island with seven.

Of 112 pedestrian and cyclist fatalities reported in 2012 by Streetsblog and other outlets, 27 were hit-and-run crashes in which the driver was not immediately caught or identified. Of the remaining 85 crashes, 10 motorists were known to have been charged for causing a death. In seven of those cases, the driver was also charged with driving while intoxicated. In two cases, the driver was accused of running over the victim intentionally.

Only once in 2012 was a sober motorist who was unacquainted with the victim known to have been charged for the act of killing a pedestrian or cyclist. Historically, nearly half of motorists who take the life of a New York City pedestrian or cyclist do not receive so much as a citation for careless driving.

By far, Brooklyn saw the most overall pedestrian and cyclist injuries, with 5,377. Manhattan had the second highest total (3,959), followed by Queens (3,483), the Bronx (2,142), and Staten Island (504).

In all, 11,621 pedestrians and 3,844 cyclists were hurt in collisions with motor vehicles, for a total of 15,465 vulnerable street users injured citywide. Per NYPD policy, few if any of these crashes were investigated by trained officers, even those resulting in serious, life-altering injuries.

Eighty motorists and 44 passengers died in the city in 2012; 18,359 and 20,485 were injured, respectively.

There were 198,361 reported motor vehicle crashes citywide in 2012.

In 2011, 143 pedestrians and 22 cyclists were killed by city drivers, according to the DMV; 10,660 and 3,504 were injured, respectively. It’s too early to do direct comparisons to 2011 without having the DMV’s final 2012 numbers.

We will have more details on 2012 pedestrian and cyclist fatalities, including precinct and City Council district data, in the coming weeks.

  • Larry Littlefield

    Here is the thing.  I thought we were going to get data on the pedestrians killed and injured in collisions with bicycles, as well as the data above.  I want to see it side-by-side.

  • Thank you Brad and SB for great reporting and analysis of this tragic data that NYPD and many others would prefer remain opaque.

  • Jonathan Rabinowitz

    So there are 43 fatalities of pedestrians and cyclists that received zero notice whatsoever and were not picked up by The Weekly Carnage? Wow, this says something about the priorities of local media outlets.

  • Bravo10041

    And all the accidents that the driver isn’t @ fault only the cyclists that drive like animals. Did you ever try to drive in the greenpoint area of Brooklyn? It’s like playing a game of “avoid that cyclist”

  • Anonymous

    attn: Larry Littlefield    No pedestrians killed by bicyclists –(see paragraph five, this link)
    http://www.streetsblog.org/2013/01/31/a-year-later-hows-james-vacca-doing-on-his-pledge-to-protect-pedestrians/

  • Yes, thank you! We need to constantly be vigilant about the dangers that cyclists pose to everyone on the street! It’s downright criminal that someone can mention the numbers of cyclists and pedestrians killed on the streets without also mentioning the vast quantities of drivers who get killed by cyclists and pedestrians! It’s terrifying to drive in Greenpoint, Park Slope and neighborhoods in my hometown of Chicago because of all the cyclists who will run us down if we don’t look out! It’s almost enough to make me put down my phone and newspaper when I drive so I can better avoid them — almost.

  • überfahr

    I fondly remember playing that game — “avoid that cyclist!” — back in the day! That, or Scrabble.

  • Ian Turner

    Would be nice to know how many were injured by cyclists.

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