virgivaughn: NYPD: 1,500 Pedestrians and Cyclists Injured, 17 Killed in Traffic in December

Image: NYPD

Twenty-nine people were killed in New York City traffic in December, and 4,529 were injured, according to the latest NYPD crash data report [PDF].

Citywide, at least 16 pedestrians and one cyclist were fatally struck by drivers: three pedestrians in Manhattan; two pedestrians in the Bronx; four pedestrians in Brooklyn; and seven pedestrians and one cyclist in Queens. Among the victims were Ramon Russell, Chenugor Dao, Ignacio Cubano, Luis Enriquez, Ronald Sinvil, Nicoletta Gargano, Sheena Mathew, Maria Beria, Aileen Martinez, Miguel Torres, Amanda Garcia, and two unnamed male pedestrians in Brooklyn and Queens. More pedestrians and cyclists were killed in December than any other month in 2012, with the exception of April, which also saw 17 fatalities.

Of 13 fatal crashes reported by Streetsblog and other outlets, four were hit-and-runs in which the driver was not immediately caught or identified. Of the remaining nine crashes, no motorists were known to have been charged for causing a death. Historically, nearly half of motorists who kill a New York City pedestrian or cyclist do not receive so much as a citation for careless driving.

At least one child and three seniors were killed by motorists in December: Miguel Torres, 11; Ignacio Cubano, 69; Nicoletta Gargano, 76; and a 78-year-old man whose name was not released.

Fatal crashes occurred in City Council districts represented by Melissa Mark-Viverto, Gale Brewer, Letitia James, Lew Fidler, Ruben Wills, Daniel Garodnick, Daniel Dromm, and Annabel Palma. Two fatal crashes each occurred in districts represented by David Greenfield and Eric Ulrich.

Across the city, 1,290 pedestrians and 210 cyclists were reported hurt in collisions with motor vehicles. Per NYPD policy, few if any of these crashes were investigated by trained officers. The 1,500 reported pedestrian and cyclist injuries in December were the most of any month in 2012. The next highest total was August, with 1,355 injuries.

Five motorists and seven passengers died in the city in December; 1,436 and 1,593 were injured, respectively.

There were 17,087 motor vehicle crashes in the city last month, an average of 551 a day.

NYPD issued 5,093 speeding tickets in December, 1,011 citations for failure to yield to a pedestrian, and 6,285 tickets for tinted windows. Download December NYPD summons data here.

Contributing factors for crashes resulting in injury and death appear below.

Crash and summons data from prior months is available in multiple formats here.

With the release of December figures, we have a complete set of preliminary NYPD crash data for 2012. We’ll break down the numbers in the coming days.