This has been the deadliest year for children on the street since 2014, according to a report by the Transportation Alternatives advocacy group.
Sixteen children died in traffic crashes on the streets of New York City in the first nine months of 2022, according to the report.
Among those victims was five-year-old Yaakov Farhi, who died three months after he was run over near his home in the Midwood section of Brooklyn.
Thirteen of the victims were killed by large vehicles – SUVs, pickup trucks, vans, buses, and other trucks.
The figures reflect a 27-percent increase in child deaths due to traffic collisions; just 11 children were killed by cars in all of 2021.
The total so far is 23 percent higher than was seen in any previous full year since 2014, according to the report.
Thirty people were critically injured in hit-and-runs that took place between July and September 2022. A total of 63 people were injured so far this year by drivers who fled the scene.
As of September 1, total of 187 people were killed in traffic crashes since the start of January: 77 pedestrians, 13 cyclists and 81 people in vehicles.
Vin Barone, spokesperson for the city’s department of transportation, told amny that Mayor Eric Adams’ administration has invested $900 billion to “repurpose our street space in support of safe, sustainable, and efficient transportation options.”
Barone added that the city has improved safety at 1,000 intersections citywide.
A statement from the mayor’s office said the city has implemented 1,200 intersection safety upgrades in addition to street redesigns, daylighting, pedestrian-centered traffic signals, among other measures.
