The Evolution of Traffic Accidents in New York

Late last month Transportation Nation reported that 214 traffic fatalities occurred in New York City to date in 2011. That figure was well below the previous year's mark by the same time. All told there were 269 fatalities in 2010 [PDF] - the second-lowest all-time figure, just above the record-setting 2009 mark of 258. If 2011 keeps pace then New York will register its lowest fatalities total since officials began keeping statistics, back in 1910.

Clearly, New York City has come a long way in mitigating traffic fatalities. According to an article from the New York Times dated September 2, 1913, the city endured 471 traffic fatalities in 1910. Of those, 112 were caused by automobiles, with another 148 from streetcars and 211 from horse-drawn vehicles. Of those it was estimated that some 95 percent were pedestrians struck in the streets. That's with a population of about 4.7 million — a bit more than half what it is today.