Traffic Deaths Decline Across Queens, New Report Finds

QUEENS, NY — New York City traffic deaths have dropped significantly so far in 2026, with Queens among the boroughs contributing to the citywide decline, according to a new Department of Transportation report.

Last year saw fewer traffic deaths overall, with the DOT report documenting 20 percent year-over-year declines in fatalities involving both pedestrians and motor vehicle occupants.

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Through the first quarter of 2026, there have been 42 traffic fatalities — the third fewest on record since data collection began in 1910. Only 2015 and 2018 saw fewer deaths at this point, officials said.

Officials cited several initiatives likely driving these trends, including street safety redesigns launched under Vision Zero and New York City's automated enforcement network.

To sustain Vision Zero progress, they also highlighted the need for "Super Speeders" legislation requiring intelligent speed assist technology for repeat offenders, now under consideration elsewhere in the state.

“New York City leads the nation in reducing traffic deaths, with progress driven by targeted, data-informed street redesigns and targeted enforcement against speeding, red-light running, and other dangerous driving behaviors,” said NYC DOT Commissioner Mike Flynn.

“But our work is far from done—because one death is one too many. Under Mayor Mamdani, we’re building on the success of Vision Zero by thinking boldly and acting with urgency to redesign our streets and use every available tool to keep New Yorkers safe,” he added.

DOT fatality statistics for Queens dating back to 2013 show the borough has generally tracked citywide trends in recent first-quarter deaths.

For example, Queens saw a twenty-three percent decline last year, dropping from seventy-four traffic deaths in 2024 to fifty-seven in 2025. In southern Queens, NYPD data shows a forty-two-point-nine percent decrease in traffic fatalities so far this year.

New DOT safety data highlights how Queens’ recent street redesigns contribute to the citywide improvements. Projects like the 2023 Seagirt Boulevard overhaul and the ongoing Queens Boulevard redesign show how strategic lane reductions, bike protections and added signals are cutting injuries and crashes across the borough.

Since completion, pedestrian injuries dropped 25 percent and crashes with injuries fell seven percent, according to the report.

The borough has also expanded its bike network and launched e-scooter service to eastern Queens for the first time.

In 2023, DOT added 2.5 miles of protected bike lanes on 11th Street, Jackson Avenue, and 44th Drive in Long Island City.

The following year, the agency completed the final phase of the Queens Boulevard redesign, adding protected bike lanes in Sunnyside and Long Island City along what was once dubbed the “Boulevard of Death.”

Last year, DOT finished the first phase of the 31st Avenue Bike Boulevard, creating more than 26,000 square feet of new pedestrian space.

However, city transportation advocates caution that progress on fatalities does not mean all traffic safety problems have been solved.

Research shows drivers with more than 20 speed-camera violations are five times as likely to cause a crash with severe injury or death; those with 30 or more are 50 times as likely.

New research from Transportation Alternatives and Families for Safe Streets identified New York City's top 20 State Assembly districts most impacted by "super speeders" — the 0.48 percent of drivers racking up 16 or more school zone speeding violations yearly.

In the hardest-hit district, Assembly District 23 (covering parts of Queens), super speeders were caught speeding in school zones 17,000 times last year — roughly once every 30 minutes.

“I carry the physical and psychological trauma of being hit by a car with me every day. We must use every available tool to prevent crashes that kill and seriously injure New Yorkers,” said Families for Safe Streets-NY Co-Chair Kate Brockwehl.

State legislation now pending in Albany would require intelligent speed assistance devices for drivers or vehicles accumulating too many speed camera tickets annually, officials said.