Most Accidents in Long Island Per Capita

Many of us get into a car almost every day – and don’t think much of it. But in reality, driving or riding in a motor vehicle is incredibly dangerous. On average, 1,098 people are killed, 12,093 people are hospitalized, and 136,913 people visit the emergency department each year due to motor vehicle accidents in New York.

In Long Island, car accidents happen far too often. When you examine the data against the population of various cities and towns in Long Island, it quickly becomes clear that certain places are far more dangerous than others when it comes to auto accidents. This includes Old Westbury, Islandia, North Hills, Hempstead, Islip, and Brookhaven.

At The Odierno Law Firm, we are committed to helping our clients get maximum compensation for their injuries. We aggressively advocate for injury victims, and never charge a fee unless we get money for you. To learn more or to schedule a free initial consultation with a Long Island accident lawyer, reach out to our law offices today.

Which Long Island Cities Are Most Dangerous for Car Accidents?

Different organizations and companies have long tried to figure out what your risk of being in a car accident is. One study by Esurance found that 77% of Americans have been in a collision at some point in their lives. The same report determined that your odds of getting into an accident on a 1,000-mile trip are 1 in 366.

Of course, most of us aren’t going on 1,000-mile trips – at least not on a frequent basis. Most of our driving tends to be around our homes and places of work – which is where the majority of accidents happen.  As a law firm based in Long Island, we decided to take a look at crash data based on where we drive the most to figure out where most accidents happen in our area.

To make sure that our numbers were accurate, we calculated the accident rate by dividing the number of crashes by a city or town’s population. Examining the per capita accident rate gives us a much better sense of where accidents are happening more frequently.

As an initial matter, it is evident that living in a smaller town does not mean that you are safer on the road. In fact, the highest per capita accident rate in Long Island can be found in towns with just 3,000 to 5,000 residents. This includes:

• Old Westbury: 348.4 accidents per 1,000 people (1,609 crashes and a population of 4,618)
• Islandia: 336.7 accidents per 1,000 people (1,116 crashes and a population of 3,315 people)
• North Hills: 279.7 accidents per 1,000 people (1,641 crashes and a population of 5,867 people)
• Westbury: 108.7 accidents per 1,000 people (1,668 crashes and a population of 15,339 people)
• Garden City: 86.3 accidents per 1,000 people (1,931 crashes and a population of 22,384)

Some of the lowest per capita crash rates can be found in bigger cities, such as North Hempstead, with a rate of 34.1 accidents per 1,000 people. Similarly, Oyster Bay has a crash rate of 48.3 accidents per 1,000 people. Hempstead – with a population of 768,103 – has a crash rate of 45.3 per 1,000 people.

Of course, this data only tells us the number of crashes in a given city or town. It doesn’t get into the seriousness of the accident. As it turns out, even though more accidents per capita happen in smaller towns, bigger cities have a higher rate of accidents that cause injury:

• Freeport: 6.09 accidents causing injuries per 1,000 people
• Babylon: 2.956 accidents causing injuries per 1,000 people
• Islip: 2.93 accidents causing injuries per 1,000 people
• Huntington: 2.49 accidents causing injuries per 1,000 people
• Hempstead: 2.27 accidents causing injuries per 1,000 people
• Brookhaven: 2.27 accidents causing injuries per 1,000 people 

Crashes that cause injuries – including catastrophic injuries and death – are more complicated than those that only involve property damage. In this situation, it is critical that you work with an experienced Long Island personal injury lawyer who can investigate your case and help you get fair compensation for your injuries. Studies show that people who have legal representation recover an average of 40% more compared to people who represent themselves in personal injury claims.

This list changes again when you analyze the accident type. Crashes involving bicyclists or pedestrians are much more common in certain cities and towns than in others. Specifically, for bicycle accidents, the following places are the most dangerous:

• Long Beach: 1.075 bicycle accidents per 1,000 people
• Freeport: 1.023 bicycle accidents per 1,000 people
• East Hampton: 0.932 bicycle accidents per 1,000 people
• Valley Stream: 0.720 bicycle accidents per 1,000 people
• Garden City: 0.714 bicycle accidents per 1,000 people

For pedestrian accidents, the most dangerous towns are similar:

• Freeport: 2.44 pedestrian accidents per 1,000 people
• Valley Stream: 2.00 pedestrian accidents per 1,000 people
• Garden City: 1.79 pedestrian accidents per 1,000 people
• Long Beach: 1.11 pedestrian accidents per 1,000 people
• Riverhead: 1.10 pedestrian accidents per 1,000 people
• East Hampton: .89 pedestrian accidents per 1,000 people

Unsurprisingly, pedestrian and bicycle accidents seem to happen more frequently in smaller beach towns along the coasts of Long Island. If you are hurt in this type of collision, a pedestrian injury lawyer can help you get the money that you deserve for your injuries. Our law firm offers free initial consultations, and we never charge a fee unless we recover money for you.

How Our Law Firm Can Help

Being in any type of motor vehicle accident can be incredibly traumatic. Afterward, you may not know what to do or where to turn for help. Our law firm will guide you through the process from sending a demand letter to negotiating a settlement to taking the case to trial if necessary.

Based in Melville, The Odierno Law Firm advocates for the rights of injury victims. Whether you have been hurt in a car accident, truck crash, bicycle accident, pedestrian knock-down, or any other type of accident, we will fight for you. To learn more or to schedule a no-cost, no-obligation consultation with a Long Island accident attorney, give us a call at 631-752-8580 or fill out our online contact form.