Over the past few years, New York City has implemented a variety of measures aimed at reducing the number of injuries and fatalities caused by traffic crashes. These steps, taken as part of an initiative called Vision Zero, are meant to make accidents less likely by changing the way that people use roads and reducing the chances for vehicles to collide with pedestrians, bicycles, or other vehicles. Under the lens of Vision Zero, every auto accident in the city is seen as preventable, and no obstacle to safety is seen as too big to fix. The truth, however, is that traffic accidents are still a constant occurrence throughout the city, as can easily be seen in recent NYC Taxi & Limousine Commission (TLC) data.
The NYC TLC recently released a chart detailing crashes occurring between July 2014 and December 2015. The chart lists the numbers of accidents involving all types of TLC-licensed vehicles, including:
- Medallion taxis
- Street-hail liveries
- Unaffiliated for-hire-vehicles
- Livery cabs
- Black cars
- Luxury limousines
- Commuter vans
- Paratransit vans
The TLC’s data show that contrary to the goals of Vision Zero, the number of crashes seems to be increasing over time. The first month in the chart, July 2014, saw 2,835 crashes. This number rose fairly steadily through December 2015, when there were 3,717 accidents. Of all of the transportation vehicles studied, medallion taxis were consistently involved in the most crashes. Over the same time period, however, there was an increase in incidents involving black cars.
The number of serious injuries and fatal accidents also stayed fairly constant during this period. While Vision Zero may have had some success in reducing fatalities overall, it has had little effect on improving the safety of the city’s taxi fleet.
Taxi accidents are just one of the many ways that drivers, passengers, and pedestrians are hurt on the roads of New York. If you have been involved in an auto accident with a taxi or any commercial vehicle, meet with a skilled New York personal injury lawyer at Rubenstein & Rynecki. Call us at (718) 522-1020 or contact us online to get started.