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Full report: Taxi and Livery Crashes in New York City, 2004 (pdf file)
New York City cabbies are less crash-prone than other drivers;
as a result, passengers are less likely to be injured as a passenger
in a taxicab or livery car than as an occupant of other vehicles, according
to a study released today by Schaller Consulting.
The study, based on
recently released New York State accident data, shows that:
- Crash rates were one-third lower for taxicabs and liveries than for
other types of vehicles in 2004. The crash rate was 4.6 taxicabs
involved in reported accidents per million miles traveled and 3.7 liveries
involved in reported accidents per million miles traveled, compared with
6.7 vehicles involved in reported accidents per million miles for all
vehicles in New York City.
- As a result of lower crash rates in these vehicles, taxi and livery
passengers are less likely to be injured while riding in a taxi/livery than
are occupants of other vehicles. There were 1.6 injured taxi passengers
per million passenger miles traveled and 2.0 injured livery passengers
per million passenger miles traveled in 2004. These figures are
lower than the injury rate of 2.6 injured persons per million miles
traveled for occupants (drivers and passengers) of all vehicles in
New York City, in 2004.
Noting that many people perceive cabs as less safely driven than other
vehicles, Bruce Schaller, Principal of Schaller Consulting and the author of the study, said, "The lower crash rates for cabbies are not so surprising given that taxi drivers are far more experienced than other drivers. They are behind the wheel up to 3,000 hours a year. Their driving records are scrutinized by the Taxi and Limousine Commission and auto insurance carriers. They risk losing their livelihood if they have too many crashes or get too many tickets."
Another finding of the study is that taxi and livery crashes declined
12 percent from 2003 to 2004, and 30 percent since 1999. These declines are attributable to the City's strict ceilings on the number of DMV points drivers can accumulate and improved auto insurance underwriting practices. Cab drivers have also been staying in the industry longer, a significant fact given that less-experienced drivers are more crash-prone.
Other highlights of the study are:
- For a typical Manhattan resident who takes 100 cab trips a year, the
chance of being injured as a taxi passenger is 0.4% over a 10-year
eriod, at current crash rates.
- Taxis and liveries cause injuries to pedestrians at a lower rate than
do other vehicles, but cabs are more likely to cause injuries to bicyclists than are other vehicles.
- While injury rates are lower for taxi passengers than for occupants of
other vehicles, the severity of injury is greater for those passengers who are injured in a taxicab. Low rates of seat belt use and the presence of the safety partition account for this disparity.
See also a previous report:
Taxi and Livery Crashes in New York City, 1990-99 (pdf file)
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