A review of recent car accidents in New York emphasizes the importance of street safety and enforcement of criminal traffic laws. More information on the below incidents is available via the linked news reports. In Elmira, New York, WETM recently reported that an accident involving a jeep and a pickup truck resulted in unspecified injuries. The collision resulted in “minor damage” to […]
Pedestrian Accidents
Reckless Driving Killed Tens of Thousands in 2020; Experts Ponder Causes
Earlier this year the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration released data projecting that in 2020, motor vehicle traffic crashes resulted in a stunning 38,680 deaths, even traffic volume decreased as people drove less during the pandemic. This figure represented the highest number of motor vehicle traffic crashes since 2007, and an increase of about 7.2% over 2019, when there […]
Is the NYPD Mishandling Illegal Parking Complaints?
A new investigation by Streetsblog asks whether the New York Police Department responded to as many 311 complaints regarding blocked bike lanes as it claimed to. According to the report, the NYPD said it issued “more than 100 tickets last year” over such complaints, but an analysis of city-provided data “contain no record of nearly one-fifth […]
NYC Steps Up “Dusk and Darkness” Traffic Enforcement
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio’s office has announced the return of multi-agency traffic enforcement to protect vulnerable and road users after sunset in the fall and winter. Referred to as the city’s “Dusk and Darkness campaign,” the effort involves increased traffic enforcement in the evening and nighttime, specifically with regard to speeding and failure to […]
Traffic Violence Killed Two People in NYC Last Week
The death toll of New York City’s streets increased by at least two last week, according to reports by the New York Daily News and Streetsblog. The victims were a 33-year-old man who died after being struck by a reportedly “drugged-up” driver in Brooklyn, and a 78-year-old woman “run over and killed by the driver of a massive […]
Car Crash Fatalities Increase in New York in 2021: Report
The first half of 2021 saw an increase in car crash-related deaths in New York, according to a recent report by News 10. Citing an analysis of traffic fatality data by QuoteWizard, the report observes that “fatal crashes are up 13% in the first half of 2021,” with 251 fatal crashes during the first six months of 2020 […]
New York City and State Authorities to Huddle over Reckless Driving
A letter obtained by New York City local news publication StreetsBlog reveals that the city’s Department of Transportation Commissioner is pursuing a meeting with the head of the state’s Department of Motor Vehicles to discuss solutions to the city’s fatal reckless driving problem. The letter, from DOT Commissioner Hank Gutman to DMV Commissioner Mark Schroeder, was sent on October […]
SUVs Involved in Tragic Deaths of Two NYC Children
The last week in New York City put a tragic spotlight on the danger of large SUVs that impede driver visibility. As StreetsBlog and the New York Daily News reported, two 2-year-old New Yorkers were hit and killed by SUV drivers. Neither driver was charged. On Friday, October 29th, a two-year-old named Autumn Garrison was walking on a Staten […]
Recent Traffic Violence Inspires Harsh Criticism of NYC Government
News reports have documented the three recent New York City car crashes that left vulnerable road users injured or dead, with some commentators directing harsh criticism toward city officials in a year of road violence unprecedented in the de Blasio Administration. E-Bike Rider Killed in Queens On October 11th, an e-bike rider was struck by the teenage driver of […]
RECKLESS DRIVING NYC: ARE RECKLESS DRIVING COURSES ENOUGH?
New York City’s “court-ordered safe-driving course” for reckless drivers has drawn criticism after reports that the motorist who struck and killed a 3-month-old in Brooklyn had previously completed the program. According to StreetsBlog, the driver, Tyrik Mott, “did not alter his violent driving behavior in any way” after completing the program on May 4th, 2021, after […]
2021 Named the “Deadliest Summer” for NYC Streets
An analysis by transit safety group Transportation Alternatives found that the summer of 2021 was the “deadliest summer” of New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio’s administration, which launched its “Vision Zero” program to eliminate traffic violence deaths in the city seven years ago. According to Transportation Alternatives, 77 people died in car crashes over between June […]
Deadly Car Crashes Kill Two Pedestrians in NYC Last Week
Two pedestrians were killed in car crashes in New York City on Tuesday, September 28th, incidents described by StreetsBlog as “the latest carnage in what has become the most-deadly year of Mayor de Blasio’s two terms in office.” One incident involved a driver “making a left turn from Avenue U onto notorious Ocean Parkway” in Brooklyn, hitting […]
Moped Regulation Comes to New York City
The New York City Department of Transportation has proposed new rules that would regulate the use of moped share services, like Revel and Lime, within the city. According to a report by StreetsBlog, the rules would prohibit moped share usage on the Brooklyn Bridge, the Manhattan Bridge, the Queensboro Bridge, and the Williamsburg Bridge, as well […]
NYC Looks to Enforcing Bike Lane Parking Violations
The New York City Department of Transportation has released a “Request for Expressions of Interest” for vendors interested in developing an automated enforcement program for the city’s bike lanes, according to a report by StreetsBlog, whose report suggests the request shows the city’s interest in a “crack down on scofflaw drivers who illegally park and stop […]
Why Hasn’t NYC Implemented Its New Reckless Driving Law?
The man suspected of killing a three-month-old baby in a reckless driving incident in Brooklyn earlier this month had a suspended licensed, 91 speeding tickets, and an arrest on his record for driving without a valid license, according to a report by StreetsBlog. The 28-year-old driver, Tyrik Mott, was also “racing the wrong way down Gates Avenue” when the […]
NYPD Announces Increased Traffic Enforcement; Critics Skeptical
The New York Police Department announced it will increase enforcement of traffic violations this week, as at least a million young New Yorkers return to school. The crackdown will primarily target drivers who “fail to yield to pedestrian and cyclists,” according to a report by the New York Daily News. The announcement follows two years of rising traffic violence fatalities, with […]
Automated Auto Makers Protest Proposed NYC Safety Rules
Self-driving car manufacturers strenuously protested New York City’s proposed rules for automated vehicles in a recent city hearing, according to a report by StreetsBlog. The biggest point of contention: a proposed mandate that automated vehicles drive “more safely than a human driver.” According to the report, representatives for the vehicles’ manufacturers said the rule would make […]
Long-Awaited Safety Measures Come to Brooklyn Avenue
The New York City Department of Transportation announced last week that it would implement safety measures along a segment of Brooklyn’s Wythe Avenue where a cyclist was struck and killed last year, and where other pedestrians and cyclists have been injured over the years. The DOT said specifically that it would erect physical barriers separating the bike lane from the traffic […]
Incoming Queens Lawmakers Call for Safe Transit
The incoming New York City Council members for the borough of Queens recently told StreetsBlog about the issues they plan to prioritize when they assume office. Below are summaries of each incoming lawmaker’s response, save for one soon-to-belawmaker who didn’t respond. Their full answers are available via StreetsBlog. In District 19, which includes Bayside and North […]
Incoming Brooklyn Lawmakers Push for Safe, Clean Transit
New York City’s new class of city council members are preparing to assume office. In advance of the new term, local publication StreetsBlog recently asked the incoming lawmakers about their transportation policy priorities. Not every incoming councilperson responded, but those who did offered a glimpse of the future of New York City’s streets. Below are […]
New York’s New Governor Raises Focus on Transportation Issues
What will the ascendance of new New York Governor Kathy Hochul mean for transportation safety in the state? According to a recent report by AMNY, transit safety groups are hopeful the answer will be good news for New Yorkers. Former Governor Andrew Cuomo’s resignation took effect earlier this week, with former Lieutenant Governor Hochul assuming the Governor’s office on […]
Electric Scooters Come to the Bronx, with Safety Concerns in Tow
The launch of a new electric scooter sharing program in New York City has raised concerns about safety issues for motorists and pedestrians. According to a report by The Verge, scooter companies Bird, Lime, and VeroRide have installed one thousand scooters per company in the East Bronx as part of a pilot program to see how micromobility fares in […]
Study: SUVS May Be Connected to Rising Pedestrian Deaths
A new study published in the journal Economics of Transportation finds that the rise of “light trucks”—SUVs, minivans, and pickup trucks—in the US may be correlated with increases in pedestrian deaths from traffic crashes. According to a report by StreetsBlog, the study found that “as the number of SUVs on the street tripled from 2000 to 2019, pedestrian […]
Lawmakers Call for National Vision Zero to End Car Crash Deaths
Two lawmakers have introduced a resolution that would call for a “National Vision Zero” campaign, according to a recent report by StreetsBlog. Vision Zero is an effort to eliminate traffic fatalities. The resolution, introduced by Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut and Representative Jan Schakowsky of Illinois, calls on Congress and the Department of Transportation to “commit to working together […]
New NYC Bill Would Increase Penalties for E-Bike Hit-and-Runs
New York State Senator Liz Krueger, who represents the Upper East Side of Manhattan, has introduced a bill that would “make it a felony for electric-vehicle riders to crash into someone and leave the scene,” according to a report by Steetsblog. The bill joins another proposal by State Senator Brad Hoylman of the Upper West Side which would […]