Motor vehicle occupant deaths increased by 46 percent from 2011 to last year, NYC DOT said today, as the agency emphasized the need for automated enforcement with the release of 2012 traffic fatality counts.

There were 274 traffic deaths in NYC in 2012, compared to 245 in 2011. Motor vehicle occupant fatalities increased from 50 to 73. The number of pedestrian and cyclist deaths was mostly unchanged: 166 in 2012 compared to 163 in 2011. Pedestrian fatalities were up in 2012, while cyclist deaths decreased.

Speeding was the leading single factor in traffic deaths, contributing to 81 fatal crashes.

Other factoids from DOT:

• Most fatal crashes involved “speeding and disregard of red lights or stop signs, driver inattention and/or alcohol.”
• Speeding was a factor in 65 percent more crashes in 2012 than in 2011 (81 compared to 49).
• Fatal hit-and-runs increased 31 percent from 2010 to 2012.
• For the third year in a row, no pedestrians were killed in crashes with cyclists.

DOT released a map illustrating 100 locations where 75 percent or more drivers were speeding within a quarter-mile of schools. The agency observed widespread disregard for children’s safety across the boroughs: 79 percent of motorists were found speeding near P.S. 199 in Sunnyside, Queens; 97 percent near P.S. 187 in Washington Heights, Manhattan; 87 percent near P.S. 270 in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn; 89 percent near P.S. 69 in the Bronx; and 81 percent of drivers were speeding near P.S. 35 in Grymes Hill, Staten Island.

“The streets around our city’s schools are the real speed traps, and we can’t play it safe when it comes to doing everything we can to protect New Yorkers on our streets — and especially seniors and school kids,” said DOT Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan, in a written statement. Sadik-Khan was joined by NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly and Chancellor Dennis Walcott in calling for “swift authorization” of legislation that would allow NYC to employ its first-ever speed camera program.

Speed cameras have been endorsed by the State Assembly but have yet to gain support from the Senate, where they are up against opposition from Senator Marty Golden and the Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association.