Friday, August 8, 2025
Science
No Result
View All Result
  • Login
  • HOME
  • SCIENCE NEWS
  • CONTACT US
  • HOME
  • SCIENCE NEWS
  • CONTACT US
No Result
View All Result
Scienmag
No Result
View All Result
Home Science News Medicine

Traffic injuries to low-income NYC residents fell 30% in first five years of ‘vision zero’ road safety program, NYU study finds

May 9, 2024
in Medicine
Reading Time: 3 mins read
0
Traffic injuries to low-income NYC residents fell 30% in first five years of ‘vision zero’ road safety program, NYU study finds
66
SHARES
602
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

 

 

Among New Yorkers with low incomes, the “Vision Zero” initiative to stem roadway crashes resulted in a marked, 30% reduction in traffic injuries of varying severity from early 2014 – when the city government launched the program – until 2019, according to a new study conducted at New York University.

The study, scheduled for publication May 8 at 4:00 p.m. (ET) in the American Journal of Public Health, revealed this trend of improved safety by comparing Medicaid-covered injury treatments during Vision Zero’s first five years with those of Medicaid enrollees in neighboring jurisdictions on Long Island and in the Hudson Valley, where systematic traffic-calming was not then in place.

In addition to preserving people’s life and limbs, the program also realized financial benefits, with the federal and state governments saving $90.8 million on Medicaid reimbursement to health care providers, according to the study at NYU’s Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service by Kacie Dragan, now finishing her PhD at Harvard, and Sherry Glied, Wagner  school dean and professor of public service.

The largest reductions in injuries between 2014-2019 were seen among Black New Yorkers. Numerous other studies have seen persistent national disparities in traffic-related injuries by income and race, noting that Blacks and other people of color are most likely to live in high-crash area, and that long-standing roadway dangers tend to be more common and injuries more elevated in low-income urban neighborhoods.

The new study found that low-income New Yorkers suffered sharply reduced injuries across crashes involving cars, bicycles, motorcycles, and pedestrians but that the improvement evaporated during the COVID pandemic of 2020-21, possibly in part because traffic enforcement and ticket-writing fell during the health crisis.

Glied is a health economist, while Dragan is finishing a PhD at Harvard. She was previously a staff researcher in the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Policies For Action (P4A) research hub at Wagner and continues to collaborate on P4A projects.

The study measured traffic injury levels in “person-years,” meaning the total years for which individuals contributed data (someone whose Medicaid claims data were tracked for seven years of the study, for example, would represent a like number of person-years). In all, there were 77.5 fewer injuries per 100,000 person-years annually in New York City from 2014-2019 under Vision Zero than would have been expected based on the rates of injury experienced in surrounding counties with no Vision Zero programs. The reduction comes out to about 30% overall, lasting until the pandemic struck.

Looking at individual-level patient data in Medicaid—the federal program established in 1965 that provides free health insurance for low income adults and children – the researchers compared road injuries in New York City’s five counties with Medicaid-covered treatment for injuries and care of residents in six surrounding counties. The counties were Nassau, Suffolk, Westchester, Putnam, Orange, and Rockland.  

The Medicaid treatment measured was for both immediate (and requiring emergency treatment) and long-term care of Medicaid enrollees, as reflected in New York State Medicaid reimbursement claims and other data.

Since Vision Zero was rolled out in the New York City administration of then-Mayor Bill De Blasio—modeled after a program begun in Sweden—dozens of small and large U.S. cities have launched their Vision Zero plans, including Boston, Los Angeles, and Seattle. In New York, there are indications its gains in public safety may be picking up again.

Recently, Gov. Kathy Hochul signed laws making it easier for localities in New York State to lower speed limits and increase fines for hit-and-runs. And NYC recently committed to increasing traffic enforcement to pre-pandemic levels – “suggesting the potential for NYC to realize gains from Vision Zero once more,” the study authors wrote.

“Although NYC and other cities continue to face challenges in reaching the goal of zero fatalities, our finding that Vision Zero policy bent an otherwise upward trend in injuries supports the idea that comprehensive traffic reform can make a meaningful dent in injury incidence…,” Dragan and Glied stated.

The Medicaid data used to measure traffic injuries and expenditures ranged from 2009-21, and this peer-reviewed study is entitled “Major Traffic Safety Reform and Road Traffic Injuries Among Low-Income New York Residents, 2009-2021” [DOI: https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2024.307617].

 



Journal

American Journal of Public Health

DOI

10.2105/AJPH.2024.307617

Method of Research

Data/statistical analysis

Subject of Research

People

Article Title

Major Traffic Safety Reform and Road Traffic Injuries Among Low-Income New York Residents, 2009-2021

Article Publication Date

8-May-2024

Share26Tweet17
Previous Post

Eating disorder symptoms are surprisingly common in people with insulin-dependent diabetes

Next Post

Report: Governments falling short on promises of effective biodiversity protection

Related Posts

blank
Medicine

Czech Validation Confirms Accuracy of OGD-Q Tool

August 8, 2025
blank
Medicine

MUC1-C Links APOBEC3 and Retrovirus Activation in NSCLC

August 8, 2025
blank
Medicine

iPad Eye Test Validated for Early Parkinson’s Detection

August 8, 2025
blank
Medicine

Updated Soil Testing Post-Fire: New Hazard Guidelines

August 8, 2025
blank
Medicine

New Biomarkers Uncover Cardiovascular Disease Risk in Type 2 Diabetes

August 8, 2025
blank
Medicine

Gordian Biotechnology Named Tier 5 Sponsor for ARDD 2025

August 8, 2025
Next Post
Report: Governments falling short on promises of effective biodiversity protection

Report: Governments falling short on promises of effective biodiversity protection

  • Mothers who receive childcare support from maternal grandparents show more parental warmth, finds NTU Singapore study

    Mothers who receive childcare support from maternal grandparents show more parental warmth, finds NTU Singapore study

    27531 shares
    Share 11009 Tweet 6881
  • University of Seville Breaks 120-Year-Old Mystery, Revises a Key Einstein Concept

    943 shares
    Share 377 Tweet 236
  • Bee body mass, pathogens and local climate influence heat tolerance

    641 shares
    Share 256 Tweet 160
  • Researchers record first-ever images and data of a shark experiencing a boat strike

    507 shares
    Share 203 Tweet 127
  • Warm seawater speeding up melting of ‘Doomsday Glacier,’ scientists warn

    310 shares
    Share 124 Tweet 78
Science

Embark on a thrilling journey of discovery with Scienmag.com—your ultimate source for cutting-edge breakthroughs. Immerse yourself in a world where curiosity knows no limits and tomorrow’s possibilities become today’s reality!

RECENT NEWS

  • Czech Validation Confirms Accuracy of OGD-Q Tool
  • Ultrasound Advances in Pediatric Tonsil Pathology
  • “Nutrient Supply from Fish Enhances Coral Growth and Resilience”
  • SNU Researchers Unveil Innovative Wearable Blood Pressure Monitor Designed for Real-Time Continuous Monitoring, Attachment Similar to a Bandage

Categories

  • Agriculture
  • Anthropology
  • Archaeology
  • Athmospheric
  • Biology
  • Bussines
  • Cancer
  • Chemistry
  • Climate
  • Earth Science
  • Marine
  • Mathematics
  • Medicine
  • Pediatry
  • Policy
  • Psychology & Psychiatry
  • Science Education
  • Social Science
  • Space
  • Technology and Engineering

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 4,859 other subscribers

© 2025 Scienmag - Science Magazine

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • HOME
  • SCIENCE NEWS
  • CONTACT US

© 2025 Scienmag - Science Magazine

Discover more from Science

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading