New York roads got measurably safer over the last two years, and that progress is real. But the improvement has not reached everyone equally. Pedestrian and bicyclist deaths rose on Long Island in the same period that overall fatalities fell, and the regions with the highest per capita risk are not the ones most people would guess.
Here is what the state’s own data shows.
The Recent Trend Is Downward
The Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee reported that statewide fatalities fell from 766 to 681 between the January to October periods of 2024 and 2025. Motorcycle deaths dropped from 157 to 134 over the same comparison, according to preliminary data from the University at Albany’s Institute for Traffic Safety Management & Research.
Upstate saw the largest improvement, with fatalities declining from 490 to 420.
New York City reached a milestone. The city recorded 205 traffic deaths in 2025, the fewest since record keeping began in 1910 and a 19 percent decline from 253 the prior year. The Bronx fell 39 percent and Queens 23 percent.
Long Island Moved the Other Way
While the rest of the state improved, Long Island fatalities rose slightly, from 103 to 110.
The composition of that number matters. Motor vehicle occupant deaths held steady at 68. Pedestrian deaths rose from 32 to 35, and bicyclist deaths rose from three to seven. The people getting killed on Long Island roads are increasingly the ones outside a vehicle.
The state launched a “Drive Safe Long Island” campaign for Nassau and Suffolk in response, with plans to expand it statewide.
The Longer Trend Provides Context
Recent gains follow a sharp deterioration. The Office of the New York State Comptroller reported that motor vehicle fatalities rose 25.8 percent between 2019 and 2022, reaching 1,175 deaths in 2022, the highest total since 2013. Nationally, deaths grew by roughly 17 percent over the same period, so New York’s increase substantially outpaced the country.
The counterintuitive part: this happened while vehicle miles traveled fell 7 percent and total traffic accidents declined 12.5 percent. Fewer crashes, deadlier crashes.
Where the Risk Is Concentrated
The Comptroller’s regional breakdown for 2022 is worth understanding, because it contradicts assumptions.
By raw count, Long Island led the state with 164 deaths in Suffolk and 81 in Nassau.
By rate, the North Country had the highest per capita fatality rate at 12.9 deaths per 100,000 residents. New York City had the lowest at 2.9 per 100,000, likely because a large share of city residents do not own vehicles.
Rural upstate roads carry a higher risk per resident than city streets. Higher speeds, longer emergency response times, and fewer lanes of separation all contribute.
What Causes Fatal Crashes in New York
From the same Comptroller analysis of 2022 data:
- Roughly one in three deaths involved speeding
- Roughly one in three involved a driver with a blood alcohol content above the legal limit, and impaired-driver fatalities rose 45 percent from 2019 to 2022
- 64 percent of those killed were occupants not wearing a seat belt or motorcyclists not wearing a helmet
- Three out of four vehicles in fatal crashes were passenger vehicles or light trucks
- Fatal crashes on urban roadways increased 68 percent since 2017
These figures have direct legal consequences. Speeding and impaired driving are statutory violations that establish negligence per se, as our negligence page explains. Impaired driving claims are handled by our New York drunk driving accident lawyer.
Why the Statistics Matter to Your Claim
Aggregate data does not decide any individual case, but it shapes the environment your claim exists in.
Insurers know pedestrian and cyclist claims are rising and litigate them accordingly. Fault allocation in those cases is contested aggressively, which matters more than ever under New York’s amended comparative fault rule, where fault above 50 percent now bars recovery in covered motor vehicle cases.
For a deeper look at where these crashes happen, see our page on the most dangerous roads and highways in New York. For common questions about the claims process, see our New York car accident FAQs.
Talk to a New York Personal Injury Attorney
Buttafuoco & Associates has represented injured New Yorkers since 1981, in every region reflected in this data. Whether you need an Albany car accident lawyer, a Rochester personal injury lawyer, or our New York car accident lawyer, contact us for a free case review. You owe no attorney’s fee unless we recover for you.