The New York City police department’s ostensible effort to crack down on drivers who fail to yield at non-signalized intersections, announced by Mayor Eric Adams in January, has reportedly fallen far below expectations. According to a recent analysis by Streetsblog, the NYPD issued “1.77 failure-to-yield tickets per precinct per day” in March 2022, after issuing 1.81 per day in […]
Personal Injury Law
Does Highway Safety Signage Actually Reduce Car Crashes?
A new study suggests that some measures intended to reduce traffic accidents may have the counterintuitive effect of increasing them. According to a recent report by the Los Angeles Times, researchers at the University of Minnesota and the University of Toronto looked at the impact of highway safety signage in Texas—specifically, signs displayed every January notifying drivers of […]
Data: 2022 Another Deadly Year on NYC Streets
The first three months of 2022 were the deadliest on New York City’s street since former mayor Bill de Blasio launched the Vision Zero plan to eliminate traffic violence in 2014, according to data analyzed by Transportation Alternatives. During those months, 59 people lost their lives in motor vehicle accidents, a figure that represents a 44% […]
NYC Launches $900 Million Investment in Transit Safety
Last week New York City Mayor Eric Adams unveiled a massive investment in transit safety. According to a press release issued by his administration, the city government will devote nearly $1 billion toward addressing traffic violence and creating “a safer, healthier, and greener city for all New Yorkers.” The Adams Administration’s new transit safety program will devote […]
Study: Asphalt Art Makes Streets Safer
An illuminating new study by Bloomberg Philanthropies found that the installation of asphalt art on city streets makes them significantly safer for pedestrians and other vulnerable road users. Released earlier this month, the study defined asphalt art as “public art projects coupled with improvements to transportation infrastructure,” and it examined historical crash data and driver behavior at […]
Understanding the Dangers of Driving While High
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 […]
E-Bike Accident Statistics: E-Bikes May Cause More Injuries than Motorcycles, Cars
Using an electric bicycle or e-bike is more likely to result in injury than using a motorcycle or car, according to a recent UCLA study. However, the study found, those injuries were “less serious than those victims of motorcycle and car crashes, and significantly less deadly.” As a report by Electrek explains, the study involved a review […]
NHTSA Raises Awareness of Distracted Driving Injuries, Deaths
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, a division of the Department of Transportation, launched a campaign raising attention to the dangers of distracted driving. As a recent release by the agency notes, April is “National Distracted Driving Awareness Month,” and the NHTSA marked the occasion with a weeklong enforcement effort intended to stop drivers who were texting […]
How Can Pedestrians Stay Safe on Increasingly Dangerous Roads?
In 2019, a pedestrian was killed in a motor vehicle accident every 85 minutes in the US, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. A resource provided by the agency, a division of the US Department of Transportation, offers information, analysis, and essential tips regarding pedestrian safety. The NHTSA maintains safety recommendations for both drivers and […]
Reports: NYPD Van Driver Strikes, Kills Pedestrian in Brooklyn
An NYPD driver struck and killed a pedestrian in Brooklyn last week, according to a recent report by the New York Post, which states that the 53-year-old pedestrian “was believed to be homeless and panhandling” in the painted central median of Eastern Parkway. The driver was at the wheel of a police van that was reportedly […]
Data: Traffic Fatalities Rise in NYC
Public data indicates that New York City traffic fatalities have increased 35% in the first three months of 2022 compared to a similar period in 2021. According to a recent report by the New York Post, New York Police Department figures reflect the deaths of 58 people in motor vehicle accidents, as opposed to 43 people […]
How To Avoid Drowsy Driving
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that approximately 91,000 “police-reported” motor vehicle accidents in 2017 involved drowsy driving, or the operation of a motor vehicle while sleepy or fatigued. A resource maintained by the NHTSA offers helpful statistics about drowsy driving, as well as tips for avoiding it. While it is difficult to identify exactly how […]
Report: Car Crash Deaths Rose in 2021
This month the Governors Highway Safety Association released its annual Spotlight on Highway Safety report on pedestrian traffic fatalities by state, using preliminary data gathered from State Highway Safety Offices. According to the report, traffic fatalities continued rising through the first six months of 2021, with the GHSA projecting that 3,441 pedestrians lost their lives in traffic […]
Lawsuit Alleges Massive Children’s Mental Healthcare Failures in New York
A new federal lawsuit alleges that New York “failed to provide children on Medicaid with the mental health care they are entitled to by law,” according to a recent report co-published by The Cityand ProPublica. Filed last week, the lawsuit, representing “hundreds of thousands” of children eligible for Medicaid, alleges that this failure resulted in the unnecessary […]
Report: NYC Construction Incidents Fall, Deaths Rise
The New York City Department of Buildings released its second annual Construction Safety report last week. Among other things, the DOB revealed that building construction-related incidents fell for the third year in a row in 2021; at the same time, construction-related injuries and fatalities slightly increased. As the report explains, building construction-related incidents fell 10% in 2021 […]
New York Bill Would Put New Requirement on Student Drivers
A new bill recently introduced in the New York state legislature would place higher standards on student drivers. Senate Bill 8677, introduced by Senator Andrew Gounardes, would require student drivers to take at least six hours of training under a “certified instructor” before they could be issued a license. According to a report by Streetsblog, […]
NYC Mayor Renews Call For Home Rule over Traffic Enforcement
In a news conference last week, New York City Mayor Eric Adams called for New York’s state government to pass a suite of legislation designed to mitigate rising traffic violence in the city. Joined by city officials, lawmakers from all levels of government, and transit safety activists, he renewed demands for state legislators to give […]
NHTSA Launches Automated Safety Tech Media Campaign
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, a federal agency that writes and enforces motor vehicle safety standards, has announced a new media campaign to educate drivers about “the safety benefits of advanced driver-assistance technologies in newer vehicles.” According to a press release issued by the agency, the yearlong campaign will involve $1.25 million in spending […]
Brooklyn Activists Call for Safer Bike Lane in Williamsburg
Brooklyn residents are pressing New York City authorities to protect a bike lane on Williamsburg’s Grand Street with concrete barriers. According to a recent report by Brooklyn Paper, transit safety advocates have sent an open letter to the mayor and the commissioner of the Department of Transportation, arguing that the bike lane’s current protections—plastic bollards—are not enough, […]
How to Reduce Gasoline Dependence? Keep Cars off the Roads
A new analysis by Streetsblog the International Energy Agency’s recent proposal of 10 ways countries around the world can reduce their reliance on gasoline. In brief, the IEA’s 10-point plan argues that advanced nations can reduce oil demand in four months by reducing highway speed limits; working from home up to three days each week; establishing “car-free Sundays in […]
Report: Last Month was the Deadliest February in NYC Since 2008
A new report by safe streets advocacy group Transportation Alternatives found that February 2022 was “the deadliest February in New York City since at least 2008,” with 23 car crash-related fatalities. The organization’s analysis of traffic violence data show that reckless driving is still on the rise in New York City by multiple metrics, in particular red […]
NYC Advocates Applaud New Pedestrian Safety Law but Call for More
A new law recently went into effect in New York City that requires the Department of Transportation to “identify each intersection next to a school that does not currently have a traffic control device” and install one by October 2024, according to a report by Streetsblog. Introduced in 2018 by former City Council member Inez Barron, […]
Car Crashes Kill Two Senior Citizens in Queens
The epidemic of traffic violence continued wreaking havoc in New York City last week, as car crashes killed two senior citizens in Queens. According to Streetsblog, one victim was a 75-year-old woman backed over by an 85-year-old man driving a Mercedes Benz; the other was a 88-year-old man hit and killed by the 52-year-old driver of […]
Data: Car Crash Injuries Still Rising in NYC
New York Police Department statistics analyzed by Streetsblog show dramatically increasing traffic violence in New York City in 2022, with “crashes that cause injuries, total injuries and injuries to pedestrians” all rising by double digits. “The violence on New York City streets,” Streetsblog cautions, “is even worse than you think.” According to data concerning traffic […]
As Crashes Rise in NYC, State Retains Control over Enforcement
New York City’s ability to address the deadly crisis in its streets is being held back by state lawmakers, according to a recent report by Transportation Alternatives. Traffic violence in the city is continuing to rise, but city officials do not have the power to implement essential enforcement measures like the operation of speed safety cameras, red light enforcement […]