Taxi Accidents

According to a recent study done by Schaller Consulting, more than 241 million people rode in New York City yellow cabs in 2005. Considering an average of 1.4 passengers per trip, that works out to 172 million taxi trips last year, or 470,000 trips per day. Considering the large number of commuters in New York City that use taxis, it is no surprise that accidents do happen frequently.

Taxi cab accidents involving cars, pedestrians, bicyclists and other objects occur approximately 11 times a day on the streets of New York City. According to the same study, nearly 4,300 accidents involving taxi cabs were reported in 1999, 70% of which resulted in personal injury or death. The rate of injury in these accidents is far higher than that of regular cars because few taxi cab passengers wear seatbelts.

Here are some additional noteworthy taxi cab accident statistics (reported in the NYC Taxicab Fact Book). These statistics are based on numbers gathered from a recent 12 month period:

• Taxi cab crashes occurred at a much higher frequency in Manhattan, as compared to the other four boroughs (Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens and Staten Island)
• 538 pedestrians were injured and four killed in crashes involving taxi cabs
• 282 bicyclists were injured in crashes involving taxi cabs
• 11.5% of rear-seat taxi passengers involved in crashes sustained Class A or B injuries such as fractures, concussions, internal injuries, bleeding, burns, contusions and abrasions.

If you are ever involved in a taxi cab accident, make sure to:

• Document as much information as possible including driver name and telephone phone number, taxi cab registration number and the name/phone number of the taxi cab company the driver works for
• Document the name and contact information of any other drivers that were involved in the accident
• Document name and contact information of any witnesses
• If possible, take photos at the scene of the accident (camera phone pictures would suffice).

If you or a loved one have been injured in a boating accident and are looking for help, please call us at 1.800.966.4999 or fill out the form to the right of the page for immediate attention to your case.