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Brooklyn Had The Most Pedestrian And Cyclist Fatalities In 2012
By
Ben Yakas
Published Feb 2, 2013
Modified Feb 2, 2013
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By
Ben Yakas
Published Feb 2, 2013
Modified Feb 2, 2013
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The preliminary Department of Motor Vehicle data on pedestrian and cycling fatalities in NYC in 2012 has been compiled and released—and altogether, 15,465 pedestrians and cyclists were injured, and 155 were killed in traffic. Streetsblog broke down all the statistics as they stand (the final numbers won't come till later this year), and unsurprisingly, more than one-third of all crashes came in Brooklyn, where 48 people died and 5,377 people were injured.
Altogether, 11,621 pedestrians and 3,844 cyclists were hurt in collisions with cars; of those 155 deaths, 19 were cyclists and 136 were pedestrians (which is slightly down from 2011, when 143 pedestrians and 22 cyclists were killed). In addition to the 48 deaths in Brooklyn (41 pedestrians and seven cyclists), 41 were killed in Manhattan (38 pedestrians and three cyclists), 40 were killed in Queens (34 pedestrians and six cyclists), 19 were killed in the Bronx (17 pedestrians and two cyclists), and seven were killed on Staten Island (six pedestrians and one cyclist).
Brooklyn had 5,377 injuries overall, followed by Manhattan (3,959), Queens (3,483), the Bronx (2,142), and Staten Island (504). There were 198,361 reported motor vehicle crashes citywide in 2012—in addition to civilians killed by cars, 80 drivers and 44 passengers died from crashes (31 less than pedestrians and cyclists), and 18,359 motorists and 20,485 passengers were injured.
But the most damning stat Streetsblog found was that only one sober driver (unacquainted with the victim) was charged with murder in these incidents involving pedestrians and cyclists. In December alone, 17 pedestrians and cyclists were killed by motor vehicles and no driver was charged.
As we previously reported, cars are 365 times more dangerous to pedestrians than cyclists, according to City data [pdf]. 60% of fatal pedestrian and bicyclist crashes are caused by illegal driver behavior. 27% of crashes that kill or seriously injure pedestrians involve a driver failing to yield. More pedestrians are struck by vehicles crossing the street with the signal (27%) than without (20%).
As of 2012, there were only 19 detectives working at the department's Accident Investigation Squad, the controversially named unit that only investigates incidents in which a cyclist or pedestrian is likely to die.
This week, a 23-year-old woman ended up in critical condition at Kings County hospital after being struck by an MTA bus at a busy Bushwick intersection; three pedestrians were killed by motorists in the span of five hours; and an elderly man was fatally struck by an SUV. In all the cases, police say no criminality is suspected.
Tagged
bike lanes
bikes
brooklyn
cycling fatalities
manhattan
pedestrian fatalities
queens
Ben Yakas
Ben Yakas is a former Gothamist reporter.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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