New York City Bicycle Injuries 2021
The city’s bicycle accident fatalities are on the rise, with many involving motor vehicles. In 2018, there were 18,718 bike accidents, resulting in injuries and eight fatalities. In 2019, there were 12,510 crashes, resulting in injuries and 28, respectively, of the total number of cyclists killed. In the past decade, the number of bicycle crashes has been on the rise, and the DOT estimates that the city will have over twelve thousand bike crash fatalities by 2021.
In the first semester of 2021, the number of bicycle fatalities and injuries in New York City was significantly lower than usual. This may be because fewer people are on the streets since the pandemic hit the city last year. In fact, there were 22,898 pedestrians, 2,303 cyclists, and 6,492 motor vehicle occupants injured in the first semester of 2021.
As bicycle traffic declines, the number of bicycle accidents also decreases. The numbers of cyclist deaths in New York City in 2020 were down from eighty-four in 2019. The decline was likely due to fewer vehicles on the road. The number of collisions involving automobiles was reduced by 41 percent during the first nine months of the year, which helped make the roadways safer for cyclists. More than one-fourth of bicycle fatalities were hit-and-run accidents, which is an important consideration when filing a lawsuit.
New York City Bicycle Injuries 2021 and the Pandemic
The first semester of 2021 saw a decrease in automobile accidents. Perhaps this was a result of fewer vehicles being on the road. There were only 6,492 cars in the city during the Covid19 lockdown, and a record number of cyclists and pedestrians were injured during the same period. However, the number of car accidents rose by five percent during the first six months of the year.
The city’s bike fatalities have also decreased during the first semester of 2021. The city’s auto accident fatalities decreased by 5%, but the number of bicyclists has not. There are still over 2,300 bicycle accidents in New York City per day. As a result, the number of injuries on the road has increased by 11.4% in the first semester of 2021.
In the third quarter of 2021, the number of bicycle fatalities in New York City increased by nearly 22%. The city’s natural chokepoints are the Manhattan Bridge, the Brooklyn Bridge, and the Brooklyn-Bronx subway. These numbers are significantly higher than those recorded prior to the Pandemic. This is a troubling trend that is not going away anytime soon.