Two recent articles discussed the dangers of driving while under the influence of cannabis, as well as broader policy discussions surrounding the issue. In the New York Times, a health columnaddressed whether driving while high is as dangerous as driving while drunk. The column argued that the question isn’t quite as clear-cut as drunk driving, which […]
DWI/Criminal
Reports: Traffic Fatalities Rise in 2020, 2021
Traffic crashes killed 38,824 people across the United States in 2020, according to data released by U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. As a press release by the NHTSA states, that figure represents “the highest number of fatalities since 2007.” The overall number of traffic crashes and related injuries declined between 2019 […]
Study: Dangerous Driving Increased During Pandemic
A recent survey by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety found that over the course of the Covid-19 pandemic, drivers drove more recklessly and spent more time driving. As an analysis by Streetsblog points out, that latter figure “partly explains” why the rate of fatalities per mile traveled increased during the pandemic, in addition to the number of fatalities […]
Suspect Arrested in Fatal Brooklyn Hit-and-Run
The driver who allegedly struck and killed a Brooklyn schoolteacher while speeding in May 2021 had two driving-related incidents in his past. As Streetsblog reported last week, the New York Police Department has said it arrested and charged the suspect, Tariq Witherspoon, a 30-year-old EMT “who hit and seriously injured a cyclist in 2017,” two years after he allegedly “allowed an […]
Study: Lower Blood Alcohol Limit Reduced Traffic Fatalities in Utah
A study conducted and released last month by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration found that after Utah passed a law reducing its impaired driving blood alcohol level limit to .05%, the state experienced a decrease in traffic fatalities and an increase in drivers arranging for “sober rides home.” According to an NHTSA press release, the state’s fatal […]
NYC Traffic Violence Roundup
Last year was reportedly the deadliest year for traffic violence in New York City since the launch of Mayor Bill de Blasio’s signature Vision Zero campaign to eliminate car crash-related fatalities in 2014. A review of recent coverage of car crashes in the city shows that they still remain hazardous for drivers, pedestrians, and other vulnerable road […]
NYC Agencies Launch Traffic Safety Initiative During Holidays
Four New York City agencies announced they would step up traffic enforcement during the holiday season. In a press release issued last week, the New York City Police Department, New York City Department of Transportation, New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission, and New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene announced efforts “to crack down […]
New York Traffic Violence Roundup
Recent reports by the New York Post highlight a raft of deadly car crashes in New York City in the last few weeks, emphasizing the need for safer streets and more vigorous traffic enforcement. A December 12 notice, for instance, describes a car crash in Long Island last weekend in which the driver of a pickup […]
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 […]
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 […]
