Bronx residents are more likely to be in a traffic crash than New Yorkers who live in any of the other boroughs, according to a joint study of collision data by the advocacy organizations Transportation Alternatives and Families for Safe Streets.
The study, which analyzed data from the first nine months of the year, found that in 2024 the rate of serious injuries per capita from traffic crashes in the Bronx is 20% higher than citywide. Compared to last year, serious injuries from traffic collisions in the Bronx rose 10%, according to the analysis.
During the first nine months of 2024, traffic crashes killed 193 people across New York City and seriously injured another 2,338 more, according to the study. Fatalities in 2024 through Sept. 30 have exceeded eight out of the past 10 years over the same time period.
While serious injuries and fatalities from traffic crashes hit the Bronx particularly hard, it has affected New Yorkers in all five boroughs. For instance, Families for Safe Streets Member Joann Perahia lost her 29-year-old son in August when he was hit by a box truck while riding his motorcycle to work in Brooklyn.
“My son should be with us today,” Perahia said. “He is not because of our city’s failure to prioritize safe street design in our city. We must have the courage to implement changes to our streets that make them safe for everyone so that no family has to endure the horrible journey that mine has just begun.”
The organization also noted that while streets with speed limits above 30 mph in the city are rare, 28% of all fatalities this year happened on streets with higher speed limits.
Elizabeth Adams, Interim Co-Executive Director of Transportation Alternatives, says that elected officials are not doing enough to protect New Yorkers.
“We need Governor Hochul to get cars and trucks off our streets by starting congestion pricing,” Adams said. “We need Mayor Adams to get the NYC Streets Plan back on track. We need the City Council to advance legislation to daylight every single intersection in our city. This work isn’t easy, and it will take political will to get done, but it will save lives.”
The organization advocates for lower speed limits and safety measures like daylighting, which removes parking spaces close to intersections to improve visibility. New York City allows cars to park all the way up to the crosswalks at many intersections, something that Transportation Alternatives argues puts people in danger. Its analysis showed that 88% of pedestrian fatalities occurred at intersections without daylighting.
