By Hank Russell
A new study finds that Suffolk and Nassau Counties both lead the New York metropolitan area in fatal crashes, with Nassau seeing an increase year over year.
According to the most recent data from the New York Metropolitan Transportation Council (NYMTC), Suffolk had 109 fatalities in 2024, resulting in 118 fatalities. That is the most within the NYMTC region, which also includes Nassau, Bronx, Kings, New York, Putnam, Queens, Richmond, Rockland and Westchester Counties. But despite the high figure, that is down 28.3% from 2023, when there were 152 fatal crashes and 155 fatalities.
Nassau tied Queens with the second-highest number of fatal crashes with 65, based on NYMTC data. In 2023, Nassau had 61 crashes, which is 6.2% less than in 2024. The number of fatalities remained the same year after year at 67. In addition, Nassau County experienced about 39,000 crashes and had a crash rate of 360.5 crashes per 10,000 drivers – the second highest in the region.
In 2024, there were 20 people killed or injured in an alcohol-related crash in Suffolk, with six being drivers, eight being pedestrians, and one bicyclist. That is down significantly from 58 in 2023 — a 65.5% decrease. In 2023, there were more drivers (29) and pedestrians (20) killed as a result of drunk driving.
In Nassau, four people were killed in alcohol-related crashes, with one driver, one pedestrian and one bicyclist counting as fatalities, according to the NYMTC. That is a sharp 75% decline from 2023, when 16 people died from crashes involving alcohol, including three drivers and nine pedestrians. (No data was available for bicyclist fatalities.)
In Suffolk, there were 10 fatalities involving bicyclists, the NYMTC said. That is a 30% decline from 2023, when there were seven bicyclists killed; no data was available for fatalities involving alcohol. In Nassau, the number of fatal crashes involving bicyclists dropped 25% from four in 2023 to three in 2024, one of which was alcohol-related. (There was no data available for alcohol-related fatalities in 2023.)
The number of pedestrian fatalities fell 10.6% from 52 in 2023 to 47 in 2024, according to NYMTC data. Nearly half (48.65%) of these deaths were the result of “pedestrian error/confusion,” 16.22% were due to driver inattention or distraction and 5.41% were alcohol-related. Nassau’s numbers remained the same at 26, with 39.29% of fatalities attributed to “pedestrian error/confusion,” 21.43% due to the driver’s failure to yield the right-of-way and 10.71% from driver inattention or distraction.
The data was made available from NYMTC’s newly launched Crash Data Explorer, an online, publicly accessible interactive tool that examines crash frequency, severity, contributing factors, and geographic distribution of crash occurrences in the NYMTC planning area’s 10 counties.
“The Crash Data Explorer reflects our commitment to innovation and safety by making this data more easily accessible to planners, governments, researchers, and the public,” said Adam S. Levine, executive director of NYMTC. “It’s a key component in advancing informed investments that support safer transportation systems across our region.”