There are many lessons to be learned by New Yorkers who take a few minutes to review the chart below provided by the NYPD for the month of January 2020. In fact, what jumps out at readers are lessons that if heeded could prevent serious injury, even death, when moving around the City by vehicle or on foot.
The chart hardly needs an explanation. It’s a compilation of data gathered by the NYPD of the citywide number of motor vehicle collisions, the number of persons injured or killed, the causes of injury or death, types of vehicles involved and the contributing factors that were the proximate cause of in many instances catastrophic outcomes due to reckless behavior by people behind the wheel of a motor vehicle.
“I hope the readers of this blog take the data in this chart to heart,” Jay W. Dankner, Managing Partner of the top midtown car accident injury law firm of Dankner Milstein P.C. said. “What jumps out at me immediately are the number of injuries and deaths caused by driver inattention. It hardly needs to be spelled out that the use of digital devices such as smartphones while driving is just plain stupid and can cost you your life, or someone else’s. Don’t take my word for it. Just look at the numbers.”
(Chart below provided to Dankner Milstein by the NYPD)
CITYWIDE January 2020
| Number of motor vehicle collisions: 14183 | ||
| Persons involved (*): | ||
| MOTORISTS (**) PASSENGERS CYCLISTSPEDESTRIANS | 28059 1219 235 861 | |
| Injury or fatal collisions: 3105 | ||
| Persons injured or killed: | Injured | Killed |
| MOTORISTS | 1854 | 4 |
| PASSENGERS | 1217 | 2 |
| CYCLISTS | 234 | 1 |
| PEDESTRIANS | 849 | 12 |
| Vehicles by type: | |
| Vehicle Type | Number of Vehicles |
| ALL-TERRAIN VEHICLE | 1 |
| AMBULANCE | 79 |
| BICYCLE | 274 |
| BUS | 514 |
| FIRE TRUCK | 15 |
| LARGE COM VEH(6 OR MORE TIRES) | 1042 |
| MOTORCYCLE | 82 |
| PASSENGER VEHICLE | 11522 |
| PICK-UP TRUCK | 833 |
| SMALL COM VEH(4 TIRES) | 116 |
| SPORT UTILITY / STATION WAGON | 10288 |
| TAXI VEHICLE | 1131 |
| VAN | 152 |
| OTHER | 2 |
| Contributing factors in injury and fatal collisions: | |
| Contributing Factors (***) | Number of Vehicles |
| AGGRESSIVE DRIVING/ROAD RAGE | 74 |
| ALCOHOL INVOLVEMENT | 168 |
| BACKING UNSAFELY | 644 |
| CELL PHONE (HAND-HELD) | 4 |
| DRIVER INATTENTION/DISTRACTION | 4329 |
| DRIVER INEXPERIENCE | 232 |
| DRUGS (ILLEGAL) | 3 |
| EATING OR DRINKING | 1 |
| ERR/CONFUSN PED/BIKE/OTHER PED | 74 |
| FAILURE TO KEEP RIGHT | 18 |
| FAILURE TO YIELD RIGHT-OF-WAY | 1149 |
| FATIGUED/DROWSY | 10 |
| FELL ASLEEP | 45 |
| FOLLOWING TOO CLOSELY | 1333 |
| ILLNESS | 14 |
| LOST CONSCIOUSNESS | 19 |
| OTHER ELECTRONIC DEVICE | 2 |
| OTHER UNINVOLVED VEHICLE | 276 |
| OUTSIDE CAR DISTRACTION | 30 |
| PASSENGER DISTRACTION | 43 |
| PASSING OR LANE USAGE IMPROPER | 696 |
| PASSING TOO CLOSELY | 614 |
| PHYSICAL DISABILITY | 4 |
| TEXTING | 2 |
| TRAFFIC CONTROL DISREGARDED | 251 |
| TURNING IMPROPERLY | 309 |
| UNSAFE LANE CHANGING | 473 |
| UNSAFE SPEED | 282 |
| VEHICLE VANDALISM | 2 |
For more information, or if you have been in an auto accident and are injured, contact the top New York auto accident injury law firm of Dankner Milstein, P.C. by calling 212-751-8000. Or you can E-mail one of the firm’s lawyers for a free consultation.
