Car Accidents in New York By The Numbers

New York—the city that never sleeps. The metropolis is sprawling with major roadways, filled with buses, taxis, trucks and private vehicles. Pedestrians dot the sidewalks like ants. While Manhattan inhabitants take the mass transit for its convenience, people from Bronx, Long Island and the New York state are known to have more than one car in their driveway. In a place with so much to see, it’s only natural to have vehicles to take you to all the places worth going.

Considering the high number of cars on the New York highways, it’s almost expected to have a couple of car accidents every now and then. Unfortunately, New York is one of the most car accident-ridden places in the United States. Many of these mishaps involve relatively minor damages, though it’s often a rather traumatic experience for majority of the victims, who need to be brought to hospitals for physical and sometimes psychological help. 

New York Car Accident Statistics

Statistics show that vehicle accidents are much more common than we think. This is largely due to the number of distractions we have going on while we’re driving (such as cellphones), or more technical factors like vehicle malfunctions. Drunk driving, one of the most notorious causes for accidents, is largely frowned upon in many states, including New York. 

a. Several car accident cases that involve causalties are results of full-on collisions, or at least, cars that crash into another moving car on the road. In 2004 alone, there were 518 casualties in New York from cars that collided into one another from opposite directions.

b. Thirty per cent of New York car accidents occurring in 2004 involves cars or trucks colliding into stationary objects like telephone poles, road islands or traffic signs. While apparently not as high as collisions between moving objects, the number of people who died clocked in at 420, constituting 30% of all New York accidents.

c. Other non-collision accidents could be fatal, too, resulting in 43 lives claimed in 2004, making up 3.1% of the collective number of accidents across New York. 

Vehicle Types

The following vehicles are known to have been involved in vehicular accidents in 2004. Apparently, that red sports car you’ve got your eye on might be just a little more than you bargained for:

a. Cars, sports cars, station wagon, etc.- 702 deaths (as of 2004)

b. Light trucks like SUV’s, light trucks and minivans – 246 deaths (as of 2004)

c. Motorcycles – 150 deaths (as of 2004)

d. Trucking vehicles such as 18 wheelers, tractors and big rigs – 9 deaths (as of 2004)

e. Public modes like buses and trains – 0 deaths (as of 2004)

It’s important to note that not all vehicular accidents necessarily involve both drivers and passengers inside the vehicle. New York is teeming with pedestrians, who represent a large number of victims of road mishaps in New York. In 2004, there were 317 pedestrian deaths resulting from car mishaps.

Most Accident-Prone Roads

The most motor accident fatalities occurred mostly in these places:

1. New York (Bronx, Queens and Long Island) – 292 claims

2. Rochester- 18

3. Buffalo- 15

4. Yonkers- 6

Not every car accident in New York leads to someone dying, though there is a rather large number of personal injury cases related to vehicular accidents, for which you’ll need a legal professional to help you out. Victims may only file a personal injury claim in Bronx if he can prove the driver’s negligence when driving the car, or if there was something wrong with the car itself or the road.

As soon as you find yourself in a car accident, your immediate concern should be your physical health, no matter how seemingly minor the injury may seem. You may also need an accident attorney in Yonkers to help your claims for medical coverage, as hospitals are not usually concerned with the legal technicalities of medical negligence in Bronx NY.

Look for a vehicle accident lawyer in Westchester to keep you well cared for. Competence is an essential quality, as some legal matters involving accidents could be quite complex. Hire a good car accident lawyer in Riverdale to help you sort through the messy bureaucracies involved in road maintenance claims of negligence.

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