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New York City is as well-known for its traffic as it is for Central Park, the Yankees, or the Empire State Building. If you live or work in any of the five boroughs, or are visiting as a tourist, it can be very helpful to know which intersections and areas of the city are typically hot spots for traffic accidents. Armed with this knowledge, you can take extra precautions as a pedestrian or cyclist, or even as a motorist, to avoid a serious collision that could leave you with catastrophic injuries.
Localize.city recently released a report that includes the 12 most dangerous regions of New York City, based on accident statistics compiled from January 1, 2013 to January 1, 2018.
The two most dangerous regions were:
- Williamsburg in Brooklyn, with 704 cyclists and 704 pedestrians injured and 9 killed within the general boundaries of Lee Avenue and North 7th/Metropolitan Avenue, from Berry Street to Bushwick Avenue.
- Lower East Side in Manhattan, specifically around Delancey/Kenmare Street between Spring and Grand, from Broadway to Forsyth. 515 cyclists and 826 pedestrians were injured and 10 people were killed in this region.
Pedestrians were at the highest risk of injury in:
- Fordham/University Heights in the Bronx, between Aqueduct and Ryer, from West Fordham Road and West Tremont Avenue. 891 pedestrians were injured in this area.
The following regions rounded out the list of the most dangerous areas for pedestrians and cyclists in NYC, ordered from highest to lowest for the number of injuries:
- Corona in Queens, between 35th and Roosevelt, from 94th to 108th (332 cyclists injured, 455 pedestrians injured, 9 deaths).
- Downtown Brooklyn, between Atlantic Ave and Willoughby St, from Boerum Pl and Bond St (256 cyclists injured, 492 pedestrians injured, 6 deaths)
- Jackson Heights in Queens, between 37th and Broadway, from 76th St to 84th St/Whitney Ave (240 cyclists injured, 499 pedestrians injured, 9 deaths).
- Flushing in Queens, between College Point Ave and Parsons Blvd, from 37th to Franklin (91 cyclists injured, 571 pedestrians injured, 12 deaths).
- Crown Heights/Bedford-Stuyvesant in Brooklyn, between Pacific and Fulton, from Bedford to Brooklyn (206 cyclists injured, 421 pedestrians injured, 3 deaths).
- Jamaica in Queens, between 89th and 90th, from 164th Street to 168th Place (46 cyclists injured, 351 pedestrians injured, 4 deaths).
- Ridgewood in Queens, between Woodward and Myrtle, from Grove St to Forest Ave (98 cyclists injured, 237 pedestrians injured, 3 deaths).
- St. George/Tompkinsville on Staten Island, between Jersey and Bay from Victory Blvd to Fort Place/Taft Avenue (20 cyclists injured, 123 pedestrians injured, 0 deaths).
- Stapleton on Staten Island, between Bay and Van Duzer, from Wright Street to Tompkins Street (21 cyclists injured, 71 pedestrians injured, 0 deaths).
No matter where you are walking or driving, it is important to always be aware of your surroundings. It only takes a split second for an accident to occur, and you can do much to prevent one by being cautious and never assuming that a motorist can see you. Obeying traffic and pedestrian signals and wearing bright clothing are other helpful practices to avoid injury.
If you were harmed in a traffic accident anywhere in New York City in spite of your best efforts otherwise, we at Silbowitz, Garafola, Silbowitz & Schatz, L.L.P. can offer the legal counsel you need. Our accident attorneys have been fighting for NYC’s injured for over 20 years and are standing by to help you. Call (800) 498-2782 for a free consultation!
