Fewer people were taken away from city accidents in body bags in 2010, recording an historic low.
Last year, 269 people were killed in traffic accidents, according to Department of Transportation data released yesterday. That’s the second-lowest number since record-keeping began, nearly beating the all-time-low of 258 in 2009.
Pedestrian fatalities also dropped last year, from 156 in 2009 to 151 in 2010.
The city attributed the fewer deaths to better intersection engineering, safety campaigns and increased police enforcement of traffic laws.
Not all the numbers were positive. Fatal motorcycle crashes increased by 34 percent, a jump from 10 to 39 fatalities last year. Eighteen people died in bicycle accidents.
“Too many crashes that take lives on our streets are still all too avoidable,” DOT Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan said.
