NYC is having one of its deadliest years for traffic accidents

NEW YORK — New York City is on its way to one of its deadliest years on the road.

Fifty-one people died in traffic accidents in the first three months of the year, according to new figures released by Transportation Alternatives. This number of deaths represents an increase of 11% compared to the same period in 2022.

If the trend established in the first quarter of 2023 continues, the city could see “the deadliest year for road violence since 2014”, the group said on Monday.

“As record numbers of New Yorkers turn to cycling, the city must do everything in its power to keep them safe,” said Danny Harris, executive director of Transportation Alternatives. “We know what works – smaller vehicles, slower speeds, protected bike lanes and bus lanes, automated enforcement and better street design – and we need our leaders to address this crisis with the urgency it deserves.”

At least one in three road deaths between January and March occurred in just one borough: Queens. Dolma Naadhum is among those killed. The 7-year-old was hit by an SUV whose driver allegedly failed to come to a complete stop at an intersection in Astoria, city officials said.

The streets of New York have proven particularly deadly for the city’s cyclists. In the same period, nine cyclists were killed, a record under Vision Zero.

Transportation Alternatives notes that bicyclist deaths this year are higher than the first quarters of 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017 combined. One of the fatalities this year is that of a 37-year-old mother who was struck while riding a bicycle in Brooklyn. Sarah Schick was hit by a truck in an unprotected cycle path in Gowanus in January.

“New York City cannot continue to stall and ignore important deadlines to build safe infrastructure, especially after the city completed only two-thirds of its legally mandated bike lanes last year,” Harris continued.