It may only take minutes to determine life or death, which is why a recent study on emergency response times in New York City is so concerning.

NYC Traffic.Photo byAlbert StoynovonUnsplash

The research claims that the city's record-breaking slowness is the result of increased traffic.

New Yorkers are used to the traffic nightmare that is Midtown and Lower Manhattan, and with the UN General Assembly scheduled for next week, things are certain to become worse.

However, the latest research claims that even every day crawls have significantly worsened.

Slowest In More Than 50 Years

According to former New York City traffic commissioner Sam Schwartz, the average speed in Midtown is 4.8 mph, the slowest in more than 50 years.

He claims the people who are waiting for an ambulance are the most in pain.

According to their analysis, EMS could respond to a life-threatening situation in an average of 9.6 minutes ten years ago. The response time is now 12.4 minutes. The response time of the FDNY to medical emergencies has nearly doubled, and the response time of the NYPD to gunshots, robberies, and burglary is almost two minutes longer.