Since the beginning of the year the total number of traffic fatalities in NYC is down by 5.6% with pedestrian deaths down by 16.6% compared to 2013 however the number of cyclists dying in accidents has more than doubled during the same period of time

167 people, including 80 pedestrians, 15 cyclists, 17 vehicle passengers and 55 motorists died in traffic accidents in New York City between the beginning of January and the end of August 2013 compared to a total of 177 including 96 pedestrians, 7 cyclists, 18 vehicle passengers and 56 motorists for the same period of time in 2013. The number of motorists and passengers vehicle deaths is stable while pedestrian deaths have been declining following some intense Zero Vision campaigning. However not everything looks good in this picture: the number of cyclists dying in traffic accidents more than doubled during that time.

From the begining of the year until the end of August the total number of personal injuries suffered in traffic accidents declined by 8% with motorist injuries down by 9%, passenger injuries down by 6%, cyclist injuries down by 4% and pedestrian injuries down by 8%.

Since the beginning of the year, Vision Zero programs that have included strong enforcement, better roadway engineering and high visibility behavior campaigns to discourage dangerous behavior on roads and streets seems to have contributed to a decrease the number of pedestrians who died or suffered personal injuries after being struck by a vehicle in New York City. The total number of pedestrians injured in August 2014 was 722 compared to 787 the previous month and 855 in August 2013. 10 pedestrians died in traffic accidents in August 2014 compared to 15 in July 2013 and 12 in August 2013.

The Vision Zero programs seem to have a positive effect in reducing pedestrian deaths but it didn’t seem to help in reducing the number of bicycle accident deaths. The recent numbers are alarming with 4 people dying in a bicycle accident in August compared to 3 in July and 1 in August 2013. It will be interesting to compare the bicycle accident statistics with the 2014 ridership statistics from the DOT when they will be released.

Also in the bad news category, the number of accidents related to distracted driving continued to increase in NYC and was above 3000 for the first time last August.