In the first three months of 2026, NYC DOT investigated 188 locations where a pedestrian was killed or seriously injured [1]. The largest group of victims, 34.6%, had the walk signal [1]. About a third of the crash sites involved a driver making a turn [1].
This report uses DOT’s serious-crash investigations and its 2016 left-turn study. It also draws on results from the city’s turn calming program, which has treated more than 1,200 intersections.
The Numbers From the Scene
Under the Serious Injury Response, Tracking & Analysis (SIRTA) program, NYC DOT and NYPD visit every location with a traffic death or critical injury [1]. The first quarter of 2026 produced these findings:
| SIRTA Finding, Q1 2026 | Result |
| Serious-injury and fatal crash locations investigated citywide | 515 |
| Manhattan locations | 113 (21.9%) |
| Pedestrian struck by a turning vehicle | 66 locations (12.8%) |
| Pedestrian struck by a vehicle going straight | 78 locations (15.1%) |
| Pedestrian victims crossing with the signal | 34.6%, the largest single group |
| Most common violation issued at the scene | Right of way, failure to yield (41 vehicles) |
| Crashes at intersections | 70.7% |
Source: NYC Department of Transportation, SIRTA Quarterly Report, Q1 2026 [1]. Some locations fall into more than one category.
Turning vehicles were involved at 66 of the 188 locations where a pedestrian was seriously hurt or killed, roughly one in three [1]. The share of victims crossing with the signal rose from 29.3% in the second quarter of 2025 [2]. Failure to yield was also the second most common contributing factor cited by police, at 16.7% of locations, behind only driver inattention [1].
Why Left Turns Do More Damage
DOT’s left-turn study reviewed five years of citywide crash data and manually examined 1,105 police crash reports. It found left turns far more dangerous than right turns [3].
| Measure | Left Turns | Right Turns |
| Share of pedestrians and cyclists killed or seriously injured | 19% | 6% |
| Average turning speed in crash reconstruction | 9.3 mph | 5.6 mph |
| Median age of pedestrians and cyclists killed | 67 | 50 |
| Share of fatalities age 65 or older | 53% | 36% |
Source: NYC Department of Transportation, Don’t Cut Corners: Left Turn Pedestrian & Bicyclist Crash Study (2016) [3].
Drivers take left turns on a wider arc, which lets them carry more speed [3]. The car’s A-pillar can also hide seven linear feet of crosswalk from the driver [3]. On a one-way street lined with parked cars, a pedestrian stepping off the curb may not be visible until the turning vehicle is about 40 feet away [3]. Pedestrians made up 86% of people killed or seriously injured by left-turning vehicles [3].
A Manhattan Problem by Design
The conditions DOT tied to left-turn injuries describe much of Manhattan. Seventy percent of intersections with a left-turn pedestrian or cyclist injury involved a one-way street [3]. Eighty percent had a traffic signal [3]. At the locations with the most injuries, 51% of crashes involved a driver turning from a minor street onto a major one [3]. In 69% of them, the driver turned onto a street 60 feet wide or wider [3].
Manhattan had 2,862 signalized intersections as of March 2022 [4]. In 2025, crashes involving motor vehicles injured 1,524 pedestrians in the borough and killed 24 [5]. DOT’s left-turn study also points to left-turn mixing zones installed on 1st, 2nd, 8th, and 9th Avenues, Columbus Avenue, Hudson Street, Lafayette Street, Grand Street, and Broadway [3].
The Fixes, Measured
| Treatment | Measured Result |
| Leading pedestrian interval (walk signal head start) | 56% drop in left-turn pedestrian and cyclist deaths and serious injuries |
| Protected bike lane | 53% drop in left-turn pedestrian and cyclist deaths and serious injuries |
| Left-turn restriction | 41% drop in left-turn pedestrian and cyclist injuries |
| Left-turn-only signal | 33% drop in left-turn pedestrian and cyclist injuries |
| Turn calming (hardened centerlines, slow turn wedges) | 33% drop in severe pedestrian injuries; 60% drop in seniors killed or seriously injured |
Sources: NYC Department of Transportation left-turn study [3] and Turn Calming Program results [6].
DOT’s turn calming program had treated 1,236 intersections citywide by December 31, 2025 [6]. Median left-turn speeds at treated locations fell 54.3% [6]. Whether a specific crash site had a leading pedestrian interval is public record through the city’s Vision Zero data [7].
The Rule at the Corner
New York’s Vehicle and Traffic Law requires a driver turning on a green light to yield to anyone lawfully in the crosswalk [8]. Liability in these cases usually comes down to evidence from the intersection. Camera footage shows the turn. The signal timing record shows whether the pedestrian had the walk sign.
In one pedestrian accident case, an inattentive driver ran over a woman as she crossed in a crosswalk. She suffered multiple back fractures and needed surgery. Eric Richman proved the driver’s liability to the judge. The trial then went forward on damages alone, and the case resolved for $1.5 million. Video from nearby buildings can be recorded over. How quickly someone requests it can shape a turning-vehicle claim.
If a turning driver hit you in Manhattan and you need legal guidance or would like to discuss your case, contact Eric Richman at (212) 688-3965 for a free consultation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are left turns more dangerous for pedestrians than right turns?
Yes. In NYC DOT’s left-turn study, left-turning drivers accounted for 19% of pedestrians and cyclists killed or seriously injured. Right turns accounted for 6%, and crash reconstructions put average left-turn speed at 9.3 mph against 5.6 mph for right turns.
Who is at fault if a turning car hits me in a crosswalk?
Under Vehicle and Traffic Law §1111, a driver turning on a green light has to yield to people lawfully in the crosswalk. Video from the intersection and the signal timing usually decide whether the driver broke that rule.
What is a leading pedestrian interval?
It’s a signal setting that gives pedestrians the walk sign at least seven seconds before turning cars get a green light. At the 104 intersections DOT studied, left-turn deaths and serious injuries to pedestrians and cyclists fell 56% after the change.
Sources
1. NYC Department of Transportation. (2026). Serious Injury Response, Tracking & Analysis Program (SIRTA) quarterly report, Q1 2026. https://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/downloads/pdf/sirta-report-q1-2026.pdf
2. NYC Department of Transportation. (2025). Serious Injury Response, Tracking & Analysis Program (SIRTA) quarterly report, Q2 2025. https://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/downloads/pdf/sirta-report-q2-2025.pdf
3. NYC Department of Transportation. (2016). Don’t cut corners: Left turn pedestrian & bicyclist crash study. https://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/downloads/pdf/left-turn-pedestrian-and-bicycle-crash-study.pdf
4. NYC Department of Transportation. Traffic signals. https://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/html/infrastructure/signals.shtml
5. NYC Department of Transportation. (2026). Bicycle crash data: 2025. https://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/downloads/pdf/bicycle-crash-data-report.pdf
6. NYC Department of Transportation. Turn calming program. https://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/html/pedestrians/turn-calming.shtml
7. NYC Open Data. VZV leading pedestrian interval signals. https://data.cityofnewyork.us/Transportation/VZV-Leading-Pedestrian-Interval-Signals/mqt5-ctec
8. New York State Senate. Vehicle and Traffic Law § 1111: Traffic-control signal indications. https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/laws/VAT/1111