New Data Reveals Traffic Violence Crisis in the Bronx as Fatalities Reach Highest Levels Since 2014, More Action Needed to Reach Vision Zero Citywide
Compared to first half of 2021, Bronx is only borough where traffic fatalities increased; 28 fatalities are the highest since Vision Zero began in 2014
People killed while using bikes, e-bikes, and scooters have more than tripled in Brooklyn compared to the first six months of 2021
129 percent increase in hit-and-runs in second quarter 2022 compared to pre-pandemic
Eleven percent of people killed in crashes were young New Yorkers aged 18 and younger, the highest share ever since Vision Zero began, a rate twice as high as the Vision Zero era-average
NEW YORK — Traffic fatalities are spiking in the Bronx and New York City must take aggressive steps to reach Vision Zero citywide, according to new data through the first six months of 2022, released today by Transportation Alternatives and Families for Safe Streets. While 2022 is no longer on track to be the deadliest year since Vision Zero began, traffic fatalities citywide are still 29 percent higher than 2018, the safest year of the Vision Zero-era.
In the first six months of this year, the Bronx has been disproportionately impacted by traffic violence, where fatalities are higher than any year of the Vision Zero era, and double the number of fatalities by this point in 2014, the year that Vision Zero began. The crisis has also particularly devastated people on bikes, e-bikes, or scooters in Brooklyn, where more than three times as many people on bikes, e-bikes, and scooters have died in 2022 as compared to the first six months of 2021. The percentage of people aged 18 and younger killed in crashes is also at its highest level since Vision Zero began.
“New York City remains far from reaching Vision Zero. Fatalities have decreased compared to the horrific records set in 2021, but more must be done to save lives on our streets — especially in the Bronx,” said Danny Harris, Executive Director of Transportation Alternative. “To make more progress in combating traffic violence, Mayor Adams and Commissioner Rodriguez must urgently implement the NYC Streets Plan and reclaim space from cars as we’ve outlined in NYC 25x25. With bold action to physically redesign streets, and speed safety cameras soon operating 24/7, we can prevent traffic violence and ensure no New Yorker experiences death or serious injury while moving around the five boroughs.”
“It’s unacceptable that eight years into Vision Zero, traffic deaths in the Bronx are double what they were when the program began. This is the clear outcome of decades of unequal investment in street redesigns. Every borough deserves safe streets and the Bronx is no exception,” said Families for Safe Streets member Monique Williams, a Bronx resident whose father was killed in a hit-and-run in 2020. “Nobody should experience the pain of losing a loved one to traffic violence. With traffic fatalities in the Bronx at record levels under Vision Zero, our leaders must invest in proven measures that protect pedestrians, bike riders, and drivers here. Families for Safe Streets members know that traffic violence is preventable. Our city’s leaders must act now to save lives.”
“I am both alarmed and concerned with the new data produced by Transportation Alternatives showing there were 28 traffic fatalities in the Bronx, making it the highest figure ever by this point in the year since Vision Zero began in 2014,” said Bronx Borough President Vanessa L. Gibson. “While Vision Zero, implemented 8 years ago, was effective in reducing traffic deaths, it is also clear that we must do more to protect the safety and well-being of our residents, pedestrians and cyclists. I look forward over the coming months to working closely with Transportation Alternatives and with Mayor Adams to support them in making our streets safer for everyone in our borough.”
“Investments in safety mechanisms, like daylighting and jersey barriers, and additional funding towards Vision Zero will help keep all New Yorkers safe,” said NYC Council Majority Whip Selvena N. Brooks-Powers, Chair of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. “Skyrocketing fatalities in the first half of the year are an alarming trend that needs to be curbed with the implementation of a robust suite of speed-reducing technologies. We must implement the NYC Streets Plan to ensure we don’t have another Davina Afokoba - a 10-year-old girl killed by an unlicensed erratic driver - or innocent child die.”
Key takeaways from the first half of 2022:
Overall Crash Data: During the first six months of 2022, traffic violence killed 113 people on New York City streets, an increase of 29 percent over 2018, the safest year on record. The greatest share of victims were pedestrians, 50 killed, followed by 48 motorists killed, and 15 people on bikes, e-bikes, or scooters. The overall number of fatalities, 113, is a seven percent decrease from 2021, the deadliest year of the Vision Zero era, when 121 people were killed in the first six months of the year. More specifically, pedestrian fatalities are down 21 percent and motorist fatalities are down 7 percent, while fatalities involving people on bikes, e-bikes, or scooters are down 6 percent compared to this point in 2021.
Deadly Traffic Violence Breaking Records in the Bronx : During the first six months of 2022, traffic violence killed 28 people in the Bronx, an increase of 22 percent over 2021. This number is double the number killed in 2014 when Vision Zero began. The Bronx is a significant outlier, as it is the only borough where fatalities increased from the first half of 2021 to the first half of 2022.
Motorists Deaths Spiking in Manhattan, Micromobility Deaths Spiking in Brooklyn: During the first six months of 2022, crashes killed ten people in cars in Manhattan, five times more than this point last year. In Brooklyn, crashes killed seven people on bikes, e-bikes, or scooters in the first half of this year — more than three times more than this point last year.
Hit-And-Runs Spiking Since Pandemic Began: New data revealed that hit-and-runs involving critical injury more than doubled, up 129 percent, in the second quarter of 2022 compared to the same period in 2019 — with just one case solved. While the numbers of hit-and-runs have declined 33 percent compared to last year’s horrific peak, they are still up 50 percent year-to-date over 2019. There were more hit-and-runs involving critical injury in each quarter during the pandemic — from Q2 2020 to Q2 2022 — compared to the pre-pandemic quarter in 2018, 2019, and the first quarter of 2020.
Increasing Number of Victims are Young New Yorkers: Even before the July 10 Staten Island crash that killed three teenagers, 2022 has had an alarming number of young people killed in crashes. For the first six months of 2022, 11 percent – 12 in total – were aged 18 or under when killed by traffic violence. This includes 15-year-old Antonina Zatulovska, 5-year-old Yaakov Farhi, and 20-month-old Lian Mashni. Looking at the Vision Zero era prior to 2022, the average share of fatalities aged 18 and under is only 5 percent.
100th Fatality of the Year reached on June 5, Tied for Earliest: On June 5, New York City hit 100 fatalities for the year. This was the earliest the city had hit 100 fatalities since 2014, the year Vision Zero began and five days earlier than 2021, the deadliest year under Vision Zero.
Here’s what the Adams administration and the City Council can do to prevent traffic violence and reach Vision Zero:
The measures detailed below are not only good policy, they are good politics too. Polling by the Siena College Research Institute found that street improvements are uniformly popular among New York City voters in every borough, and of nearly every age, race, and income group - even if it would mean less space for street parking. Polling by NYC DOT found, as one example, 64 percent support citywide for protected bike lanes.
Implement NYC 25x25:: Reducing the number of cars on New York City streets — and the space on our streets devoted to cars — is central to achieving Vision Zero. NYC 25x25 is a campaign endorsed by over 200 local organizations and Mayor Adams during his 2021 campaign that challenges NYC leaders to repurpose 25 percent of car space into safe space for people. Simply put, the rules of induced demand tell us that less space for cars equals fewer people choosing to own cars equals less traffic violence, just as more space for people — in the form of wide sidewalks, green space, busways and bike lanes — equals a safe, healthier city. Helping shift New Yorkers out of cars and into other, safer, reliable transportation alternatives will reduce the number of cars on the road, and reduce the risk for every road user.
Bronx-specific Interventions: Just six percent of New York City’s on-street protected bike lanes are in the Bronx, compared to the 75 percent located in Manhattan and Queens, even though roughly an equal percentage of residents in every borough ride bikes. Bike lane equity here would save lives, and protected bike lane installation as part of the NYC Streets Plan should be prioritized in this borough. Transportation Alternatives members are also advancing multiple campaigns to overhaul dangerous corridors in the Bronx, including a Safe Boston Road and Complete the Concourse.
Expedite investments in the NYC Streets Plan: Mayor Adams has committed $904 million to achieve the NYC Streets Plan and build a required 250 miles of protected bike lanes and 150 miles dedicated bus lanes over five years. But as the Riders Alliance has recently tracked, just 3.4 miles of the required 20 miles of bus lanes in year one have been implemented. These vital street improvements are not only required by law — they will save lives and they must be completed without delay. They should be especially prioritized in areas that have been historically under-resourced and areas that have particularly high rates of traffic violence now, like the Bronx.
Open Streets, Safe Streets: A Transportation Alternatives report from summer 2021 found that Open Streets have had significant safety benefits for the city as a whole. Looking at the twelve months before the COVID-19 pandemic compared to the 12 months after Open Streets first began, cyclist injuries increased 20 percent citywide, cyclist injuries decreased 17 percent on Open Streets. Looking at individual Open Streets provides even more proof of their safety benefit. As one example, crashes and injuries have fallen 80 percent on Berry Street in Williamsburg since this Open Street was created.
Streets For Students, Not Speeders: Create “School Streets” by closing streets to car traffic adjacent to every New York City school, making drop-off and pick-up safer, encouraging parents and students to walk, bike, or take public transit to school, creating a bubble of cleaner air outside schools, and giving every school-age child in New York City access to new and safe public space for active play and outdoor learning.
Clear Every Curb: Universal daylighting — the practice of removing the parking spot closest to an intersection to improve visibility at crosswalks — with physical infrastructure, such as curb extensions, benches, planters, or bike parking, makes it safer to cross the street. The conversion of car space at 124 high-risk intersections near schools in New York City into daylighting, sidewalk widening, and pedestrian safety islands brought a 44 percent decrease in injuries for school-age children during school travel hours at those intersections.
Go After Large Vehicles: Convert vehicle-use taxes for passengers to a weight-based system, consistent with the majority of counties in New York state, reflecting the greater impact of heavier cars on road surfaces, crash fatality rates, and carbon emissions. This would raise an estimated $36 million, according to a 2018 analysis by the New York City Independent Budget Office.
Strengthen the Dangerous Vehicle Abatement Program: To make the program more effective and reduce repeat offenders, Mayor Adams and the City Council must strengthen the law, as we called for in our Seven Steps agenda for the Adams Administration. This could include lowering the number of red light or speed safety camera violations needed before being required to complete a safety course and impounding and towing offending vehicles.
What Elected Officials and Partners Are Saying:
“We’ve lost too many of our neighbors to traffic violence, and this report makes clear that our city is trending in the wrong direction,” said Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams. “While 24/7 speed cameras are an essential first step, we need to do more to keep New Yorkers safe. Our street design must imagine and create safe streets for everyone — from drivers to pedestrians to our neighbors who rely on mobility devices. Action today can build a safer, greener, and more livable city tomorrow.”
“The continuation of this second and overlooked pandemic – the pandemic of traffic violence that also began at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic – needs to stop,” said Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine. “We have mourned the loss of too many loved ones and it is especially painful when it is the result of preventable traffic crashes. DOT must double down on known interventions that increase safety such as traffic calming and the installation of curb extensions and protected bike lanes and must expedite the commitments made in the Streets Master Plan. And as I discussed yesterday, we must expedite congestion pricing. Thank you to Transportation Alternatives for producing this crucial report and continuing to fight to stop preventable traffic deaths.”
"Any death due to traffic violence is a tragedy, but the news that 113 people were killed by such violence on New York City streets in the first half of this year is shocking and extremely troubling,” said Queens Borough President Donovan Richards Jr. “This increase in traffic fatalities is unacceptable and underscores the urgent need for both immediate and long-term solutions to make our streets dramatically safer. The implementation of the street and intersection redesigns called for in the NYC Streets Plan is one way we can save lives, and I will advocate for any kind of action that will protect Queens families. I am committed to making our streets safer for all who use them.”
“We must continue to prioritize the ideals of Vision Zero into physical policies like clear every curb and placement of protective bike lanes, starting in the boroughs with the highest fatalities – like my home borough of The Bronx. We have seen the highest level of traffic fatalities since 2014, with one happening in my district earlier this July when a cyclist was hit by a speeding car in Soundview. It is both alarming and disheartening to learn that just six percent of New York City’s on-street protected bike lanes are in the Bronx, compared to the 75 percent located in Manhattan and Queens, even though roughly an equal percentage of residents in every borough ride bikes,” said Council Member Amanda Farías. “We need to start investing in the safety of Bronxites yesterday, today, and tomorrow. I thank Transportation Alternatives for collecting and sharing this critical data and I will continue to work to get more safety infrastructure for pedestrians, cyclists, and e-scooter riders.”
“The safety of pedestrians and cyclists should be of the utmost importance in our city. We must aggressively protect these vulnerable New Yorkers, particularly during the summer months when many young people and others are out on our thoroughfares. We must reaffirm our commitment to Vision Zero, and endeavor to end all fatalities and serious injuries stemming from traffic accidents on our city’s streets, and enact common sense policies that protect all New Yorkers,” said Council Member Mercedes Narcisse.
“The increase in traffic fatalities among minors, Bronx residents, and micro-mobility users is unacceptable. Traffic violence is as tragic as it is avoidable and we need urgent and swift implementation of the record investments in the NYC Streets Plan to ensure that New Yorkers can safely walk and bike in our communities,” said Council Member Lincoln Restler.
“The tragic increase of fatal traffic violence in the Bronx so far this year is a testament to the immense work that still must be done to ensure all New York City streets are safe for all,” said New York City Council Member Kevin C. Riley. “We must ensure that all Vision Zero supported initiatives, street safety programs, and critical investments have equitable outreach that includes all communities, especially those that are disproportionately affected. We cannot sit on the sidelines waiting for vehicular fatality rates to continue to rise. It is important for us to ensure that all New Yorkers have access to safer streets,” said Council Member Kevin C. Riley.
“This new data proves that the City’s implementation of Vision Zero is inadequate. We need the Mayor to put as much energy into saving lives on our streets as he’s putting into other urgent public safety needs,” said Sara Lind, Director of Policy at Open Plans. “In addition to the solutions outlined in the Streets Plan, the city can make our streets safer with curb reform, better management of public space, and by eliminating programs that incentivize driving, like placards and parking minimums. There are straight-forward solutions available and the City must turn to them immediately.”
"Street safety is public safety. Just as with gun violence, one death, one injury from traffic is one too many. Mayor Adams must act decisively to protect New Yorkers from cars and trucks and dangerous driving," said Riders Alliance Policy and Communications Director Danny Pearlstein. "The mayor should embrace all of the transformative elements of the Streets Plan and speed up their implementation, just as he has promised to do with bus and bike lanes. Whatever it takes, City Hall must cut through the red tape and muster the political will to reengineer our streets for safety first. There's no amount of convenience worth the lives of New Yorkers."
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