Study from Dept. of Transportation shows older pedestrians disproportionately impacted by traffic accidents

The senior population in New York City is growing, and a new study by the Department of Transportation identified areas in the city with the highest rate of senior pedestrian injuries.

News 12 Staff

Jun 14, 2022, 11:32 PM

Updated 909 days ago

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The senior population in New York City is growing, and a new study by the Department of Transportation identified areas in the city with the highest rate of senior pedestrian injuries.
The study also found that although seniors are hit just as much as non-senior adults, their injuries are often more severe and can result in more deaths.
VisionZero, a citywide initiative to make the streets of New York safer, is focused on protecting the vulnerable senior population.
“You may be surprised to learn that older New Yorkers, those 65 or older, make up just 15% of the NYC population but they account unfortunately for more than 45% of pedestrian fatalities,” said DOT commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez.
The DOT plans to install turn calming treatments at specific intersections identified by the DOT study, as well as leading pedestrian interval to give pedestrians a head start crossing streets.
The DOT says that these safety enforcements can help lower senior pedestrian deaths and injuries by up to 60%.