NY Bicycle Accident Stats: 2007
- In the state of New York, there were 5,535 motor vehicle accidents involving bicycles in 2007. Most of those, 5,451 accidents, caused some type of personal injury. A total of 51 accidents were fatal. There were 19 collisions involving a bicycle and a motorcycle.
- Of the 51 fatalities, 50 were bicyclists. The remaining fatality was a vehicle driver. The vast majority of persons injured in bicycle-vehicle accidents, over 96 percent, were bicyclists. At least 29 of the 50 fatally injured bicyclists were not wearing a helmet at the time of the accident. Helmet use is unknown for 19 fatalities.
- Accidents causing minor injury made up 51 percent of bicycle-vehicle accidents, while those causing moderate injury made up another 32 percent. Approximately 11 percent of accidents resulted in serious injury, and 1 percent proved fatal.
- The highest numbers of accidents occurred between noon and 9 p.m. Approximately two-thirds of bicycle accidents occurred during these hours. Accidents were also somewhat less frequent on Saturdays and Sundays compared to weekdays.
- Most accidents, 69 percent, occurred on municipal streets. Nearly all, over 98 percent, involved a single motor vehicle.
- A few human factors were involved in large numbers of bicycle accidents. Over 19 percent involved driver inattention. An additional 19 percent involved failure to yield right of way. The most common human factor, cited in over 26 percent of accidents, was bicyclist error or confusion. Alcohol involvement contributed to 1.7 percent of bicycle accidents.
- Persons in their 30s and 40s made up the highest percentages of fatally injured bicyclists; 11 of the 50 fatalities were in their 30s and 12 were in their 40s.
Source: http://www.nydmv.state.ny.us/Statistics/2007BicycleSummary.pdf
