June 27 – Motor vehicle fatalities in New York State increased 25.8% from 2019 to 2022, with 2022 fatalities reaching a ten-year high, while miles traveled, number of drivers with a driver’s license and the number of traffic accidents have actually decreased, according to a report released Thursday, June 27, by State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli.
“The number of traffic fatalities in New York has increased at an alarming rate since the pandemic,” DiNapoli said in a press release. “Although there are fewer drivers on the road and vehicle safety features have greatly improved, fatal accidents are increasing. As New Yorkers take to the road for the Fourth of July and summer holidays, let’s drive carefully and arrive safely.”
In 2022, there were 1,175 traffic fatalities in New York, the highest number since 2013. Traffic fatalities in New York grew by almost 17% nationally, while fatalities in New York increased by 25.8% between 2019 and 2022. The increase coincides with a 7% decrease in vehicle miles traveled and a 12.5% decrease in traffic accidents in New York during that period.
Most fatal car crashes occur on urban roads, which have increased 68% in New York since 2017, the report said. In 2022, Long Island led the state in deaths — 164 in Suffolk County and 81 in Nassau County. Regionally, North County had the highest per capita death rate in 2022 at 12.9 per 100,000 people, while New York City had the lowest at 2.9 per 100,000 people, likely because it has a large number of residents who do not own vehicles, the press release said.
Three out of four vehicles involved in fatal crashes were passenger cars and light trucks in 2022. Significantly, 64% of fatal crashes killed occupants not wearing seat belts or helmets. About one in three deaths in New York involved speeding, and another one in three involved a driver with a blood-alcohol level above the federal legal limit of 0.08, the report said. Between 2019 and 2022, there was a 45% increase in fatal crashes involving drivers over the legal limit.
The federal and state governments are engaged in numerous highway safety efforts, the release said. For example, New York City received nearly $641 million over five years from the federal government for the Highway Safety Improvement Program. The state budget adopted for fiscal year 2024-25 also included Sammy’s Law, which allows New York City to lower its speed limits. DiNapoli’s report urges policymakers to consider giving more local governments the ability to adjust their minimum speed limits to help reduce traffic fatalities in the state, the release said.
