Analysis and Identification of Contributing Factors of Traffic Crashes in New York City

Abstract

New York City is one of the most traffic-congested cities in the United States and the world. This study presents a comprehensive analysis of the total number of injured and killed people by road crashes in New York City in the period from 2013 to 2019. The purpose of the analysis was to examine the trend of crashes over time and identify the reasons for injuries and fatalities. The numbers of injured and killed road users were analyzed using yearly, seasonally, monthly, daily, and hourly time series. The hours of the day were compared based on four periods: morning peak, evening peak, off-peak, and night-time. The patterns on weekdays were compared to those on weekends. The types of injured and killed road users were analyzed based on different categories; pedestrians, cyclists, and persons (drivers and occupants). A total of 47 reasons for traffic-related crashes involving injuries and fatalities were analyzed comprehensively. A simple ranking method was developed. The top three reasons identified were driver distraction, failure to yield right-of-way, and exceeding the speed limit.