New York State Motor Vehicle Fatalities 2008
- There were 1,160 fatal accidents in the state of New York in 2008, resulting in 1,224 fatalities. That year, the death rate due to traffic accidents was 0.87 deaths per 100 million miles traveled in the state. The fatalities represent 6.28 deaths per 100,000 New Yorkers.
- The number of fatalities in 2008 represents a 5 percent decrease from the 2007 total.
- Deaths in 2008 included 669 motor vehicle drivers, 211 vehicle occupants, 302 pedestrians, and 42 bicyclists.
- The largest percentage of fatal accidents, 16.5 percent, occurred between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m., while 10.3 percent occurred between midnight and 3 a.m.
- Fatal accidents were more common on the weekends, with about one-third occurring on Saturday or Sunday.
- About 60 percent of fatal accidents in 2007 involved a single vehicle.
- Alcohol was known to be involved in 13.4 percent of fatal accidents.
- Other human factors which frequently contributed to fatal crashes included distracted driving (10.2 percent of crashes), failure to keep right (8.8 percent), failure to yield right of way (13 percent) and unsafe speed (31.7 percent).
- Males represented 1,252 of the 1,1710 drivers involved in fatal accidents in 2007. Males in their 20s were involved at the highest rates. Persons in their 20s also made up the highest proportion of fatalities.
- Of the 822 motor vehicle occupants who were killed in 2008, 171 were wearing a lap belt and harness. Another 151 were using no restraint. Air bags deployed in 110 fatal crashes where no other restraint was used, while 136 fatalities occurred despite the use of air bags, and a lap belt and harness at the time of the accident.
Source: http://www.nydmv.state.ny.us/Statistics/2008NYSAccidentSummaryNOTB5.pdf
