Forty-six pedestrians were killed on New York City streets in the first half of 2026, a 13% drop from the 53 who died over the same period last year and the lowest count for any first half on record, according to amNewYork. The only comparable period with fewer deaths was the first half of 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic kept much of the city off the streets.
Total traffic fatalities (pedestrians, cyclists, vehicle occupants, and micromobility riders) make the first half of 2026 the fifth-safest first half on record since Vision Zero launched. It ranks behind 2017, 2025, and 2020, with 2018 holding the record for the fewest traffic deaths over the same period, according to DOT data. Overall traffic deaths are down 25% since the program began.
The 94 total traffic fatalities recorded through June 29 are slightly above last year’s 91 for the same window, but lower than the three years before that. 2025 ended as the city’s safest full year ever for traffic deaths, with 205 total, DOT announced earlier this year.
DOT Commissioner Mike Flynn said in a statement that street redesign is driving most of the improvement. Projects adding protected bike lanes, bus lanes, concrete pedestrian islands, shorter crossings, and clearer lane markings reduce conflicts between drivers, pedestrians, cyclists, and micromobility users. Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s administration has made completing street redesigns shelved or killed by predecessor Eric Adams a stated priority, amNewYork reports.
“No New Yorker should fear walking to school, biking to work, or driving to visit a loved one,” Flynn said. “New York City’s streets remain among the safest they have ever been, but Vision Zero means one death is one too many.”
Not every category is improving. Deaths among e-bike, moped, and motorized stand-up scooter riders rose from 16 in the first half of 2025 to 18 this year, according to DOT data cited by amNewYork. That number is still below the 23 micromobility deaths recorded over the same span in both 2024 and 2023. The DOT has deployed public education campaigns aimed at micromobility riders, many of whom are food delivery workers. In late May, a motorized scooter rider crashed into a cyclist on the Queensboro Bridge, killing them both.
Deaths among vehicle occupants have fallen sharply: 16 in the first half of 2026, down from 29 in the same period of 2024 and 30 in 2023. There were just three cyclist deaths in the first six months of the year.
The DOT is also working with the NYPD on enforcement against reckless driving on corridors with the highest volumes of severe crashes and against illegal micromobility devices, according to amNewYork. “Under Mayor Mamdani, we are doubling down on safer street design, targeted traffic enforcement, and expanded public education, because we must use every tool at our disposal to prevent catastrophic crashes and save lives,” Flynn said.
Annie Levers, director of the Mayor’s Office of Operations, said the numbers reflect agencies using shared data to coordinate responses. “The progress we’re seeing is the result of agencies working together, using data to identify challenges and act on them,” Levers said. “With 2026 on track to be among the safest years on record, that approach is delivering results. But our work isn’t done until fatalities reach zero.”
