Personal injury settlements totaled $653.9 million for claims filed between FY 2012 and FY 2021. The New York City Comptroller’s Office released Wreckless Spending: The Accelerating Cost of City Car Crash Settlements, a report which found that payments to settle personal injury claims from crashes involving City-owned vehicles have nearly doubled in the past decade. Despite seeing the number of crash claims settled by the City drop to a ten-year low in Fiscal Year 2021, settlement payouts have soared from a low of $67.4 million in FY 2015 to a high of $130.1 million in FY 2021. City fleet-related personal injury settlements over the past decade have cost the City a total $653.9 million.
“The epidemic of vehicle crashes is a serious public safety concern to New Yorkers, and unfortunately the City fleet is not an exception. But in these cases, when a New Yorker is hit and harmed by a squad car or a garbage truck, it’s New York City taxpayers who have to settle the bill. By accelerating adoption of fleet safety technologies, reducing the size and number of vehicles in the City fleet, and holding City drivers and agencies accountable, we can save lives – and many of millions of dollars too,” said Comptroller Brad Lander.
“The size of New York City’s vehicle fleet creates a priceless opportunity to reduce traffic crashes and consequently the City’s crash liability; through safety training, automated vehicle telemetry and other steps, the City can transform its fleet of vehicle operators into street safety leaders,” said Steve Vaccaro, cycling representative and advocate
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