TLC Vehicle Crash Statistics: Crashes, Injuries, Deaths

In short: TLC's crash data counted 9,544 crashes involving at least one TLC-licensed vehicle in 2025, with 4,775 TLC vehicles in crashes where someone was hurt and 14 in crashes where someone died. Those numbers are far below 2019 (45,201 crashes). But the fall happened mostly in one step in 2020 and never reversed as trips came back. That pattern points to a change in what gets reported, not proof that roads became four times safer.

The figures come from TLC's "Vehicles Involved in Crashes (Local Law 31)" dataset on NYC Open Data. It counts crashes reported to TLC that involve at least one TLC-licensed vehicle. A crash can involve several TLC vehicles, and involvement does not mean the TLC driver was at fault.

Crashes by year

Here is why we don't read the 2020 drop as a safety gain. Crashes fell from 45,201 in 2019 to 16,576 in 2020, a 63% drop. Trips also fell sharply in 2020. But by 2025, app-based trips were back to about 95% of 2019 and total TLC trips to about 87% (trip statistics). Crashes, meanwhile, kept falling, to 9,544, about 21% of 2019. If reporting had stayed the same, crashes would be expected to follow trips back up at least partly. They didn't.

So compare 2020 onward with 2020 onward. On that basis, reported crashes declined each year from 16,576 in 2020 to 9,544 in 2025.

Injury crashes

Injury involvements peaked at 11,626 in 2018, dropped to 5,678 in 2020, held near 6,000–6,300 in 2021–2023, and fell to 4,775 in 2025. The injury series fell less in 2020 than the crash series did (47% versus 63%). That fits the idea that the reporting change mainly affected less serious crashes, though the data can't confirm it.

Fatal crashes

Fatal-crash involvements ranged from 32 (2017) to 10 (2022) over these years. Numbers this small move a lot by chance, so a rise or fall of a few in one year means little. Over 2015–2019 the average was about 23 a year; over 2021–2025 it was about 12.

By industry, 2025

Black car vehicles, which include app-based cars in 2025, were involved in 7,980 crashes, about 80% of all involvements. Medallion taxis had 1,545. That roughly tracks each industry's share of trips: app-based plus black car trips were about 80% of daily trips in 2025, and yellow taxis about 15%.

The share of involvements that included an injury varies: about 48% for black car, 47% for medallion taxis and 66% for livery. Small industries have small counts, so their percentages are unstable.

What a crash means for your TLC license

A crash can lead to TLC action as well as police and insurance processes. Under TLC rule 80-13:

• 80-13(a)(4): if a collision injures someone or damages property, you must stop before leaving and show or give your licenses, vehicle and insurance details. Penalty: $350 and/or suspension up to 30 days (revocation for more than 3 findings in 12 months), 3 points, appearance required. Points count toward the Persistent Violator Program. See 80-13(a)(4).
• 80-13(a)(5): you must immediately report a collision to the vehicle's owner. $100 and 3 points.
• Leaving the scene of an accident involving property damage or injury to an animal is also on the hazardous list, 80-13(a)(3)(xv), with 3 points.

Our accident reporting guide covers the full steps, and dashcams in TLC vehicles explains what video can help with.

What this data can and cannot tell you

It can tell you how many crashes reported to TLC involved TLC-licensed vehicles, how many of those vehicles were in injury or fatal crashes, and how involvements split by industry.

It cannot tell you:

• Fault. Being involved is not being responsible.
• A clean trend across 2019–2020. Reporting appears to have changed.
• Crash rates per mile or per trip with confidence, because of the reporting change and industry overlaps.
• Where or when crashes happened, or who was hurt (passenger, pedestrian, other driver).
• Whether any TLC summons followed.