Car accidents in New York City leave thousands injured and communities affected. In 2022, NYC recorded 110,490 motor vehicle collisions reported to NYPD, and 54,367 people were injured. Pedestrians made up 52% of traffic deaths, with 228 total traffic fatalities in 2022. The page also examines who is most at risk—like cyclists—along with factors such as speeding, distracted phone use, and failure to yield, plus how trends and infrastructure (including protected bike lanes) can change outcomes.
Key Takeaways
- Failure to yield was cited in 25% of 2022 NYC crashes.
- Speeding involved in 32% of all crashes in NYC 2022.
- Distracted driving (phone use) in 18% of crashes 2022.
- In 2022, NYC had 228 traffic fatalities, a 10% increase from 2021.
- Pedestrians comprised 52% of NYC traffic deaths in 2022.
- 2023 saw 20 cyclist fatalities in NYC, up from 12 in 2022.
- In 2022, 54,367 people were injured in NYC car crashes.
- Serious injuries totaled 12,670 in NYC 2022 crashes.
- Pedestrians suffered 18,450 injuries in 2022 NYC crashes.
- In 2022, New York City recorded 110,490 motor vehicle collisions reported to the NYPD.
- From 2018 to 2022, NYC saw an average of 19,245 crashes per year involving injuries or fatalities.
- In 2023, there were 2,400 crashes in Manhattan alone according to preliminary NYPD data.
- In 2022, 15,240 pedestrian injuries and 119 deaths in NYC crashes.
- Cyclist fatalities reached 30 in 2023 prelim NYC data.
- 52% of NYC traffic deaths were pedestrians in 2022.
In 2022, NYC crashes hurt tens of thousands, with pedestrians most at risk and speeding most common.
Related reading
01 · Category
Contributing Factors18 stats
01
Failure to yield was cited in 25% of 2022 NYC crashes.
02
Speeding involved in 32% of all crashes in NYC 2022.
03
Distracted driving (phone use) in 18% of crashes 2022.
04
Drunk driving factored in 8% of total crashes in 2022.
05
Red light violations caused 12% of intersection crashes 2022.
06
Aggressive driving in 22% of rear-end collisions 2022.
07
Weather (wet roads) contributed to 9% of crashes in rainy 2022 months.
08
Fatigue listed in 5% of nighttime crashes 2022.
09
Illegal parking obstruction in 7% of side-swipe crashes.
10
Medical emergencies caused 2% of crashes, mostly fatal.
11
Commercial truck maneuvers in 15% of multi-vehicle crashes 2022.
12
Bicycle lane encroachments led to 11% cyclist crashes.
13
Construction zones saw 6% higher crash rates due to factors.
14
Wrong-way driving rare but in 1% of head-on crashes.
15
Pedestrians jaywalking cited in 14% of ped crashes 2022.
16
Seatbelt non-use primary in 40% rollover injury crashes.
17
Phone distraction highest in ages 18-24 at 25%.
18
Hit-and-run incidents in 12% of property damage crashes.
Interpretation
Contributing Factors Interpretation
In 2022 NYC crashes, the biggest contributing factors were speeding at 32% and failure to yield at 25%, showing that speed and basic traffic compliance were key drivers behind many crash outcomes.
02 · Category
Fatal Crashes15 stats
01
In 2022, NYC had 228 traffic fatalities, a 10% increase from 2021.
02
Pedestrians comprised 52% of NYC traffic deaths in 2022.
03
2023 saw 20 cyclist fatalities in NYC, up from 12 in 2022.
04
Manhattan had 65 fatal crashes in 2022.
05
From 2014-2023, NYC fatalities dropped 52% from 299 to 143 in 2023 prelim.
06
Drunk driving caused 15% of fatal crashes in NYC 2022.
07
Speeding contributed to 58% of fatal crashes in 2022 NYC.
08
42 motorists died in NYC crashes in 2022.
09
Intersection-related fatal crashes made up 68% of total fatalities in 2022.
10
In 2021, NYC had 199 traffic fatalities, lowest since tracking began.
11
Failure to yield caused 29% of fatal pedestrian crashes 2018-2022.
12
Dark lighting conditions present in 40% of 2022 fatal crashes.
13
Males accounted for 75% of driver fatalities in NYC 2022.
14
Ages 25-34 had the highest fatal crash rate per capita in 2022.
15
2022 saw 119 pedestrian fatalities in NYC.
Interpretation
Fatal Crashes Interpretation
For the Fatal Crashes category, NYC traffic deaths rose to 228 in 2022 but then fell to 143 by 2023, with pedestrians accounting for 52% of deaths in 2022 and drunk driving contributing 15% of fatal crashes that year.
03 · Category
Injury Crashes18 stats
01
In 2022, 54,367 people were injured in NYC car crashes.
02
Serious injuries totaled 12,670 in NYC 2022 crashes.
03
Pedestrians suffered 18,450 injuries in 2022 NYC crashes.
04
Cyclists had 4,210 injuries from crashes in NYC 2022.
05
From 2014-2022, injury crashes decreased by 25% in NYC.
06
Rear-end collisions caused 35% of injuries in 2022.
07
2023 prelim data shows 48,000 injuries, down 12% from 2022.
08
Brooklyn reported 16,500 crash injuries in 2022.
09
Head injuries comprised 22% of serious crash injuries 2022.
10
Females represented 55% of pedestrian injuries in 2022 NYC.
11
Nighttime crashes caused 45% of serious injuries in 2022.
12
Intersections saw 60% of injury crashes in NYC 2022.
13
Children under 15 had 2,100 injury involvements in 2022.
14
Seniors over 65 accounted for 18% of serious injuries.
15
Taxi and rideshare vehicles injured 8,500 people in 2022.
16
From 2020-2022, injury rates per mile driven dropped 20%.
17
Side-impact crashes led to 28% of moderate injuries 2022.
18
Unbelted occupants had 3x higher injury severity in 2022.
Interpretation
Injury Crashes Interpretation
In 2022, NYC injury crashes led to 54,367 injured people, including 12,670 serious injuries, and with injury crashes down 25% from 2014 to 2022 while rear end collisions caused 35% of those injuries, the trend points to meaningful progress but continued danger from this collision type.
More related reading
04 · Category
Overall Crash Statistics15 stats
01
In 2022, New York City recorded 110,490 motor vehicle collisions reported to the NYPD.
02
From 2018 to 2022, NYC saw an average of 19,245 crashes per year involving injuries or fatalities.
03
In 2023, there were 2,400 crashes in Manhattan alone according to preliminary NYPD data.
04
NYC's crash rate per 100,000 population was 1,250 in 2021, higher than the national average.
05
Between 2014 and 2023, total reported crashes in NYC decreased by 15% due to Vision Zero initiatives.
06
In 2020, pandemic lockdowns led to 45,678 crashes, a 50% drop from 2019's 91,298.
07
Brooklyn reported 35,210 crashes in 2022, the highest borough total.
08
Queens had 28,450 vehicle collisions in 2022 per NYPD records.
09
The Bronx saw 15,670 crashes in 2022.
10
Staten Island had the lowest with 3,160 crashes in 2022.
11
Midtown Manhattan's 34th Street corridor averaged 1,200 crashes annually from 2019-2022.
12
NYC crashes peak at 6 PM with 12% of daily total occurring then.
13
Weekends account for 28% of all NYC crashes yearly.
14
Commercial vehicles were involved in 22% of 2022 NYC crashes.
15
From 2012-2022, NYC crash underreporting estimated at 40%.
Interpretation
Overall Crash Statistics Interpretation
Overall Crash Statistics in New York City show that reported crashes have fallen meaningfully since the Vision Zero era, with total crashes dropping 15 percent from 2014 to 2023 and plunging from 91,298 in 2019 to 45,678 in 2020 during the pandemic.
05 · Category
Vulnerable Road Users15 stats
01
In 2022, 15,240 pedestrian injuries and 119 deaths in NYC crashes.
02
Cyclist fatalities reached 30 in 2023 prelim NYC data.
03
52% of NYC traffic deaths were pedestrians in 2022.
04
Protected bike lanes reduced cyclist injuries by 50% in treated areas.
05
4,567 cyclist injuries reported in NYC 2022.
06
Pedestrians at fault in 20% of their crash involvements 2022.
07
Dooring incidents caused 15% of cyclist crashes in Manhattan.
08
75% of cyclist fatalities involved motorists turning left.
09
Mid-block crossings led to 35% pedestrian fatalities.
10
Helmet use in only 20% of injured cyclists 2022.
11
E-bikes involved in 40% rise of cyclist crashes 2022.
12
60% of ped deaths at signalized intersections despite signals.
13
Wheelchair users had 150 injury incidents in crashes 2022.
14
Nighttime accounted for 55% cyclist fatalities.
15
School zones saw 1,200 ped injuries annually avg 2019-2022.
Interpretation
Vulnerable Road Users Interpretation
In NYC, vulnerable road users account for a major share of crash harm with 52% of traffic deaths being pedestrians in 2022, including 15,240 pedestrian injuries and 119 deaths, and the same year NYC recorded 4,567 cyclist injuries that saw a 50% reduction where protected bike lanes were implemented.
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Aisha Okonkwo. (2026, February 13). New York City Car Accident Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/new-york-city-car-accident-statistics
MLA
Aisha Okonkwo. "New York City Car Accident Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/new-york-city-car-accident-statistics.
Chicago
Aisha Okonkwo. 2026. "New York City Car Accident Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/new-york-city-car-accident-statistics.
Sources & references
9 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level