Traffic deaths may be down under Mayor de Blasio’s Vision Zero program, but there are more crashes since the program began and a steadily rising injury toll, according to NYPD data.
Collisions on city streets increased more than 11 percent between 2014 and 2018, statistics show. In 2014, there were 205,486, and that number rose to 228,227 in 2018.
During that same time, collisions resulting in injuries increased by 18 percent, from 37,556 in 2014 to 44,508 in 2018.
Overall injuries are also up during those five years, by about 9,458.
Pedestrian deaths in the city are down overall, from 140 in 2014 to 111 last year, although the number did rise slightly from 106 in 2017. Total traffic deaths decreased from 259 in 2014 to 200 in 2018.
The de Blasio administration attributed the lower death rate to steps the city has taken as part of its Vision Zero project, whose goal is to eliminate all traffic deaths, including by working to renew the legality of speed-enforcement cameras, expansion of bike lanes and more bike-share services.
Transit advocates say more cars and more congestion are leading to a higher number of crashes.
“As the city has become more congested, you have more blocked intersections and more irritable drivers,” said Transportation Alternatives spokesman Joe Cutrufo. “You have more tension on the streets so, of course, you’re going to have more crashes.”
New Yorkers say commuting has become more harrowing than ever.
“The most nerve-wracking part of driving in the city is having to be defensive of not just cars, but bicyclists and pedestrians,” said Samantha Willis, 42, of Brooklyn.
One cause of congestion is a sharp increase in both private and for-hire car registrations, said AAA spokesman Robert Sinclair. Between 2012 and 2017, private-car registrations in the city increased by 146,000 and there are now 52,000 more for-hire vehicles.
Department of Transportation officials said that, overall, city streets are still safer, despite the higher crash count.
“Traffic fatalities are at record lows, even as New York City’s population and tourism — along with its number of pedestrians and cyclists — have increased to record highs,” said a DOT spokesperson. “Conditions are measurably safer for the most vulnerable street users.”
Additional reporting by Nick Fugallo and Amanda Woods