1. Pamela Lai MD PhD1,2, James Braun MA2, Michael Redlener, MD1,2, Douglas Isaacs MD1,2, Bradley Kaufman MD1,2, John Freese MD2
Department of Emergency Medicine, North Shore-Long Island Jewish Medical Center, New Hyde Park, NY1; Fire Department of New York City, Brooklyn, NY2
•Bicycle commuter accidents rise
during daylight hours and peak at
between 15:00 – 20:00
•Intersections are markedly higher
•Pedestrian accidents peak at
5pm as well
PURPOSE
Injuries involving pedestrians and
bicyclists are a problem for many
urban communities. In 2008,
approximately 4400 pedestrians were
killed in motor vehicle crashes in the
United States while another 69,000
pedestrians were injured. In addition,
the United States consistently reports
over 900 bicycle-related deaths
annually. This study utilizes pre-
hospital data from the New York City
Fire Department (FDNY) over a five-
year period to evaluate bicycle and
pedestrian injury locations
(intersection, street location) in New
York City.
METHODS
• Five-year retrospective analysis of patients who utilized 911
municipal EMS transport for bicycle and pedestrian related injuries in
New York City
• Electronic patient care reports (ePCRs) were analyzed using
SPSS-17
• The incident locations were identified for all patients with a cause of
injury identified as a bicycle accident or pedestrian struck by a vehicle
• These incident locations were then tabulated to show the most
frequent locations for injuries
RESULTS
• 1.05 million patients had
injuries
• 54,333 were related to bicycle
or pedestrian injuries
• 35% (p<0.01) of injuries
exclusive of bicycle or
pedestrian related injuries
occurred at an intersection
• 76% (p<0.01) of incidents
involving only bicyclists and
66% (p<0.01) of incidents
involving only pedestrians
occurred in intersections
• Incidents involving both
bicyclists and pedestrians had
an 83% (p<0.01) chance of
occurring at an intersection
CONCLUSION
Motor vehicle crashes involving
pedestrians and bicyclists
continue to be a significant cause
of morbidity and mortality for
many communities. A large
retrospective analysis of EMS pre-
hospital data in a highly populated
urban environment was used to
identify high risk intersections and
street locations. These findings
may be used as a basis for
education, community
intervention/prevention programs,
and city planning purposes.
Looking Both Ways:
An Analysis of Pedestrian and Bicycle Injuries in New York City
Location Predictability of Bicycle and Pedestrian
Accidents
BICYCLE ACCIDENTS
PEDESTRIAN STRUCK
SAMPLE LOCATIONS OF
BICYCLE VS PEDESTRIAN
ACCIDENTS
NYC ZIP CODE MAP
LIMITATIONS
Data was extracted from ePCRS from FDNY municipal units. This may
be an underestimation of the total patient profile of New York City as
there are also 911 voluntary, volunteer and private EMS services that
also service the area