Nassau County Accident Report
2015 - 2024 Data Analysis
Summary
From 2015–2024, Nassau County recorded 362,723 reported crashes, averaging about 99 crashes per day over the decade. In that same period, 107,662 crashes involved injuries (a total of 151,253 reported injuries), and 721 crashes were fatal, resulting in 766 deaths.
The decade’s trend isn’t a straight line. Total crashes fell to 29,557 in 2017, surged in 2018 (+36.4%), peaked pre-pandemic at 41,862 in 2019, then dropped sharply in 2020 (-29.1%). By 2024, total crashes had returned close to pre‑pandemic levels at 39,177 crashes, 18.7% higher than 2015 and just 6.4% below the 2019 high.
A key takeaway from the decade of data is that severe outcomes did not always move in lockstep with overall crash volume. For example, even as total crashes plunged in 2020, fatal crashes increased (from 68 in 2019 to 72 in 2020). This pattern shows that changes in traffic conditions and driving behavior can influence the likelihood of serious harm, even when there are fewer crashes overall.
Geography and road-user type also shape the story. In municipality-reported data (72.9% of all county crashes), the Town of Hempstead accounts for 59.4% of crashes, so even modest percentage changes there reflect large numbers of crashes and people affected. Meanwhile, bicycle-involved crashes rose 51% over the decade (350 in 2015 to 528 in 2024), and large-truck crashes reached near-decade highs in 2022 and 2024. Downloadable charts and the full dataset are available below for transparency and further analysis.
In this report, ‘injury crashes’ refers to crashes with at least one reported injury, and ‘fatal crashes’ refers to crashes with at least one death; total injuries and total fatalities count the people injured or killed.
Key Statistics at a Glance
Total Crashes Over Time (2015-2024)
Line Chart | Shows long-term trend across the county
Key takeaways
- • Biggest year-over-year swing: 2018 rose 36.4% from 2017 (29,557 → 40,306)
- • Long-run change: Crashes increased 18.7% from 2015 (33,008) to 2024 (39,177)
- • Pandemic disruption and recovery: 2020 fell 29.1% from the 2019 peak (41,862 → 29,672), then rebounded; 2024 remains 6.4% below 2019
Crash Severity Breakdown by Year
Grouped Bar Chart | Property Damage vs Injury Crashes
Key takeaways
- • Injury impact: 107,662 injury crashes resulted in 151,253 reported injuries (about 1.4 injuries per injury crash on average)
- • Property damage is the dominant outcome: 170,813 crashes involved property damage only (47.1% of all crashes)
- • The 2020 break is visible across severity: injury crashes fell from 11,229 (2019) to 7,934 (2020), then climbed to 10,775 (2024); property-damage-only crashes fell from 20,398 (2019) to 14,428 (2020), then returned to about 20,000 per year in 2022–2024
Fatal Crashes by Year
Bar Chart | Dedicated view of fatal crashes with appropriate scale
Fatal Crashes vs. Total Fatalities
Some crashes result in multiple deaths. The chart above shows crash counts, while total fatalities are shown below.
Fatal Crashes by Year:
Total Fatalities:
Fatal-crash insights
- • Scale of fatal crashes: 721 fatal crashes (766 deaths) represent about 0.20% of all crashes, roughly 1 in 500 reported crashes
- • Multiple fatalities occur: Total deaths exceed fatal-crash count (766 deaths from 721 fatal crashes)
- • Fatal risk didn’t fall with 2020 volume: total crashes dropped sharply in 2020, yet fatal crashes rose from 68 (2019) to 72 (2020); the lowest fatal-crash years were 2018 and 2023 (61 each)
Crash Totals by Town & City (2015-2024)
Horizontal Bar Chart | All 3 Towns and 2 Cities in Nassau County
Key takeaways
- • Hempstead Dominance: The Town of Hempstead accounts for 156,900 crashes, about 59.4% of all town/city crashes in the dataset and roughly 43% of all crashes countywide
- • The gap is large: Oyster Bay (62,196) and North Hempstead (36,044) total 98,240 crashes combined, well below Hempstead’s 156,900 crashes on its own
- • Two Cities: Long Beach and Glen Cove, the only incorporated cities in Nassau County, have a combined 9,174 crashes, about 3.5% of all town/city crashes and roughly 2.5% of all reported crashes countywide
- • Coverage Note: Town/city data accounts for 72.9% of county total (264,314 out of 362,723). Remaining crashes occur in villages or unincorporated areas
Crash Type Breakdown
Pie Chart | Distribution by vehicle/person type
High-risk road users
Vulnerable road users (pedestrians, bicyclists, and motorcyclists) represent 4.1% of all crashes:
- • Pedestrians: 8,351 crashes (2.3%) - Highest vulnerability category
- • Bicycles: 3,704 crashes (1.0%)
- • Motorcycles: 2,983 crashes (0.8%)
- • Vulnerable road users (combined): 15,038 crashes (4.1%)
- • Large Trucks: 15,257 crashes (4.2%)
- • Passenger Vehicles & Other: 332,428 crashes (91.7%)
Crash Type Trends Over Time
Multi-Line Chart | Year-by-year trends for vulnerable road users and large trucks
Trend insights
- • Large-truck crashes surged after 2017: from 1,164 (2017) to a decade high of 1,825 (2022); 2024 remained near the top at 1,817
- • Pedestrian crashes rebounded: down 34% in 2020 (866 → 574), then back to 909 in 2024 (slightly above 2015’s 898)
- • Bicycle increased over the decade: increased 51% over the decade (350 in 2015 to 528 in 2024), with most of the growth occurring after 2021
- • Motorcycles were mostly stable, then hit a high: annual counts ranged from 255–359, with 2024 the decade’s high (359)
Crash Severity by Town/City
Grouped Bar Chart | Property Damage vs Injury Crashes
Key insights
- • Similar severity mix across most municipalities: for most towns/cities, roughly a quarter to a third of all crashes involve injuries, with property-damage-only crashes making up most of the remainder
- • Highest injury share (Glen Cove): 1,237 injury crashes out of 3,332 total crashes (37.1%)
- • Lowest injury share (Long Beach): 1,488 injury crashes out of 5,842 total crashes (25.5%)
Fatal Crashes by Town/City
Bar Chart | Dedicated view with appropriate scale
Fatal-crash insights
- • Hempstead: 326 fatal crashes (338 deaths) (about 0.21% of Hempstead’s 2015–2024 crashes)
- • Oyster Bay: 133 fatal crashes (155 deaths) (about 0.21% of Oyster Bay’s 2015–2024 crashes)
- • North Hempstead: 54 fatal crashes (66 deaths) (about 0.15% of North Hempstead’s 2015–2024 crashes)
- • Long Beach: 4 fatal crashes (4 deaths) (about 0.07%, the lowest fatal-crash share)
- • Glen Cove: 5 fatal crashes (5 deaths) (about 0.15%)
Year-Over-Year Percentage Change
Column Chart | % change from previous year
Key insights
- • Volatility: Wide year-to-year swings, ranging from -29.1% (2020) to +36.4% (2018)
- • Recovery, then plateau: after a 23.6% rebound in 2021 and a further 10.7% increase in 2022, total crashes leveled off (2023: -3.6%, 2024: +0.19%)
- • Two clear “shock” years: 2018’s spike (+36.4%) and 2020’s drop (29.1%) dominate the decade’s volatility
Download Charts
Each chart is available as an individual PNG download using the button directly below it. To download all nine charts at once, use the button below. All images include a watermark and source attribution.
Methodology & Data Sources
All statistics and charts on this page are based on data from the Institute for Traffic Safety Management and Research (ITSMR) Traffic Safety Statistical Repository (TSSR). We used TSSR’s Nassau County tables for years 2015 through 2024 and compiled totals by year, crash severity, road user type, and municipality (where available) to present a descriptive overview of long-run trends.
This report is intended to be educational and data‑driven. It summarizes reported crashes and outcomes and does not attempt to explain why changes occurred. Year-to-year shifts can reflect many factors, including changes in travel patterns, enforcement, reporting, roadway conditions, and vehicle and driver behavior.
Notes and limitations: “Crashes,” “injury crashes,” “injuries,” “fatal crashes,” and “fatalities” are reported as defined in TSSR. Municipal totals shown on this page cover the towns and incorporated cities included in the TSSR municipality breakdown and therefore represent a subset of the county total, with remaining crashes occurring in villages or unincorporated areas. Counts represent reported incidents and may be affected by reporting practices and data updates.
Data Sources:
- ITSMR Traffic Safety Statistical Repository (TSSR): https://www.itsmr.org/traffic-safety-statistical-repository/ (accessed February 18, 2026)
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