A multiagency effort to reduce bicyclist fatalities and serious injuries in New York City.

Dear Fellow New Yorker: Bicycling is good for New York City! It offers many benefits to many New Yorkers: • Recreation and sport • Regular physical activity to improve fitness and health • An easy and relatively inexpensive way to get to work or school • A mode of transportation that reduces road congestion and cuts down on pollution • For messengers and delivery people, a means of employment itself The City of New York is committed to improving bicycle and traffic safety for all New Yorkers. Bicyclist Fatalities and Serious Injuries in New York City: 1996–2005 is a collaborative project by the City's health, parks and recreation, transportation, and police departments to better understand, and ultimately improve, bicycle safety for the thousands of New Yorkers who ride on our streets every day. This report identifies specific safety challenges for bicycling in New York City and offers recommendations for motor vehicle drivers, bicyclists, health care providers, and others. It also outlines action steps the City will take to increase bicycling and improve safety. Working together with motorists, bicyclists, bicycle advocacy groups, community groups, health care providers, and other partners, New York City can become an even better place to ride. 1. While bicyclist injuries declined between 1996 and 2003, fatalities remained steady. • Between 1996 and 2003, a total of 3,462 NYC bicyclists were seriously injured in crashes with motor vehicles. The annual number of serious bicyclist injuries decreased by 46% during the 8-year period. • Between 1996 and 2005, 225 bicyclists died in crashes. Bicyclist deaths remained steady during the 10-year period. • The bicyclist fatality rate for NYC is similar to the national rate – 2.8 compared to 2.7 per one million residents. • Census data show that many more NYC adults (11% vs. 3%) walk or bicycle to work compared to the national average. 3. Nearly all bicyclist fatalities (92%) occurred as a result of crashes with motor vehicles. • Most crashes (89%) occurred at or near intersections. • Although they make up only 5–17% of vehicles on NYC roadways, large vehicles (trucks, buses) accounted for almost one third (32%) of fatalities. • Nearly all (94%) fatalities involved poor driving or bicycle riding practices, particularly driver inattention and disregarding traffic signals and signs. • Although there are many more miles of local roads, more than half of fatal crashes occurred on arterial (large, four lane) roads (53%). …