New York Road Safety Analysis
Behavioral Insights Powered by StreetVision
The following road safety report evaluates road risk events in New York from December 2025 through February 2026. It examines phone distraction rates, intersection-level hard braking activity, and corridor-level speeding patterns to determine where risk is most concentrated.
The report leverages insights from CMT’s StreetVision, an AI-powered behavioral analytics platform that provides decision-ready insights into roadway risk before crashes occur. Transportation officials use StreetVision to identify hotspots, prioritize high-impact safety interventions, and evaluate the effectiveness of countermeasures.
Here is a snapshot of our findings — covering distraction benchmarking, county-level concentration analysis, high-risk intersection identification, and corridor speeding patterns.
Monthly distraction rates: A comparison to the national benchmark
In December 2025, drivers in New York recorded 21.44 phone tapping events per 100 miles driven, compared to the national average of 23.72, placing the state 9.7% below the US benchmark.
In January, the rate was 20.85, a 2.6% decrease from the prior month, and 11.5% below the national average.
By February, phone tapping increased to 21.33 events per 100 miles, marking a 2.3% increase from January. It was 11.3% lower than the US average.
County-level insights reveal concentrated rates of distracted driving
Across the three-month period, New York averaged 25.2 phone-tapping events per 100 miles, though county-level data shows wide variation around that benchmark.
The most distracted counties, led by Kings, New York, and Bronx, recorded distraction rates roughly 50% to more than 80% above the state average, highlighting concentrated pockets of elevated risk.
In contrast, the least distracted counties, led by Genesee, Greene, and Yates, reported rates about 35% to 50% below the statewide average, underscoring a clear regional divide in driver behavior.
Highest Distraction
Kings County
Brooklyn
38.81
+83.1%New York County
37.07
+74.9%Bronx County
32.61
+53.8%Richmond County
31.59
+49%Queens County
30.99
+46.2%Lowest Distraction
Genesee County
10.81
−49%Greene County
13.18
−37.8%Yates County
13.68
−35.5%Schuyler County
13.81
−34.9%Allegany County
13.94
−34.2%
High risk intersections: Where hard braking signals elevated crash risk
Intersections account for roughly 25% of all US traffic deaths and 50% of all traffic injuries. Hard braking often signals near-miss events, making it a leading indicator of elevated crash risk.
An analysis of New York County intersections found Claremont Avenue and Tiemann Place to be a high-risk hotspot, with 132 hard braking events per 100 miles driven.
⚠ Highest Risk
Claremont Ave & Tiemann Place
132
hard braking events / 100 mi
Locations with persistently high hard braking activity are widely recognized as candidates for proactive intervention — where targeted engineering improvements, enforcement visibility, or behavioral countermeasures may reduce crash risk before crashes occur.
When & Where Speeding Risk Peaks
Speeding behavior in New York follows identifiable time-of-day and corridor-level patterns, creating predictable windows of elevated risk.
On I-278 near the Robert F. Kennedy Bridge (45 mph), speeding peaks early Monday from 2:00 –3:00 a.m., when 76% of driving time exceeds the limit. Another notable spike occurs on Wednesdays from 7:00 – 8:00 p.m., when over 40% of travel is above the posted speed.
These patterns provide actionable intelligence for speed studies, high-visibility enforcement, public awareness campaigns, and resource allocation decisions.
How fast are drivers going in school zones?
We analyzed speed distribution in the school zone at Eagle Point Elementary School on Western Ave in Albany, New York, focusing on weekdays from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Our analysis found that 34% of drivers exceed the 20 mph limit during active school zone hours.
Understanding how frequently speeding occurs during school hours helps traffic engineers determine whether stronger safety measures are needed to better protect vulnerable road users.
Get more insights from StreetVision
This report is just a quick example of the kind of insights StreetVision can deliver. Transportation officials use StreetVision to surface behavioral risk patterns in near real time — pinpointing where interventions can deliver the greatest safety impact.