In December, The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration has launched an investigation into potentially widespread defects in cars manufactured by Kia and Hyundai. According to a report by the Associated Press, the inquiry will look at “more than 3 million vehicles from the 2011 through 2016 model years,” stemming from 161 reports it received about engine fires. A […]
Personal Injury Law
Pedestrians Suffer as Reckless Driving Rises
The Covid-19 pandemic has “intensified” trends behind an increase in reckless driving-related pedestrian deaths in the United States, according to a recent report by the New York Times. Despite expectations early in the pandemic that a decrease in drivers on the road would lead to a decrease in pedestrian deaths, in reality the relative emptiness of the […]
New York City Traffic Violence Roundup
As reckless driving rises across the nation, New York City has been no exception to the deadly trend. Below is a roundup of recent traffic violence injuries and fatalities in the city. In Park Slope, Brooklyn, a 44-year-old pedestrian was struck while crossing Fourth Avenue near Bergen Street, according to police. The victim was taken […]
Speed Limit Bill Advances in New York Senate
New York State Senate Bill S524 was advanced through the chamber’s Transportation Committee last week, according to a report by 1010 Wins. The bill, also known as Sammy’s Law, “Relates to establishing speed limits in cities with populations in excess of one million people,” according to its listing in the Senate’s website. If passed by the Senate and […]
Car Crash Deaths Continued Rising in 2021
Data released by the federal government shows that traffic fatalities continued in their upward trend during the first two-thirds of 2021, apparently due to the spate of reckless driving that came with the Covid-19 pandemic. According to a report by the Associated Press, there were 31,720 car crash-related deaths in the first nine months of last year, […]
Construction Industry Suffers Omicron-Related Labor Shortages
The US construction industry is suffering drastic worker shortages resulting from the omicron variant of the novel coronavirus, according to a recent report by Construction Dive. Citing data analyzed by the Washington Post, roughly 8.8 million construction workers “reported missing work either because they were sick with the coronavirus or caring for someone else who was […]
2021 Was NYC’s Deadliest Year for Traffic Deaths
A total of 273 people lost their lives in traffic crashes in New York City last year, according to a study by street safety advocacy group Transportation Alternatives. As the Brooklyn Eaglereported last week, this made the 2021 deadliest year for traffic violence-related deaths, representing an increase of 33% since 2018. Transportation Alternatives’ study found that […]
New York Street Safety Groups Launch Renewed Push for State Reforms
After the absence of any transformative street safety reform in the New York state legislature’s last legislative session, a group of 14 advocacy groups are joining forces to push for the passage of the Crash Victim Rights and Safety Act this year, according to Streetsblog. The legislative package features a number of bills that would make […]
Data Suggests NYC Open Streets Reduce Car Crashes, Injuries
Data shows that the implementation of car-free streets leads to a reduction in car crashes and injuries, according to a new analysis by Streetsblog. The analysis specifically examined New York City’s “Open Streets” program on 34th Avenue between 69th Street and Junction Boulevard in Queens, which is kept pedestrian-only for 12 hours every day. Using data […]
Advocates Call for New NYC Mayor to Double Down on Road Safety
A new analysis by Streetsblog identified five “dangerous neighborhoods” for pedestrians and other vulnerable road users for New York’s new mayoral administration to focus on. Noting that there were more traffic fatalities in New York in 2021 than in any other year during the Bill de Blasio administration, the report stressed the need for Mayor Eric […]
NYC’s Next Transportation Commissioner Pledges to Make Streets Safer
After a fatal truck crash on the Upper East Side on Christmas Eve, New York City’s soon-to-be Transportation Commissioner said he would take immediate steps to increase pedestrian and cyclist safety as soon as he takes office. The incoming Commissioner, Ydanis Rodriguez, described traffic violence in New York as a “pandemic of crashes,” according to Streetsblog. […]
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 […]
NYC Safe Streets Advocates Applaud Adams’ Transportation Commissioner Pick
While deadly streets remain a concern for New Yorkers, recent reports by Streetsblog and the New York Post suggests that the incoming mayoral administration may be a cause for hope. Mayor-elect Eric Adams has reportedly selected City Councilman Ydanis Rodriguez to be his Transportation Commissioner, plucking him from his eight-year tenure on the City Council’s Transportation Committee. As Streetsblog […]
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 […]
Study Suggests Car-Caused Ammonia Pollution Worse Than Thought
Recent research suggests that safety regulators may have drastically underestimated the severity of the ammonia emissions produced by cars and other vehicles. According to a report by Streetsblog, it turns out that vehicles may release five times more ammonia than previously believed, a level of pollution primarily affecting cities like New York. As the report describes, ammonia […]
Traffic Violence Continues to Injure and Kill New York Motorists, Pedestrians
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 […]
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 […]
New York Set to Receive Massive Bike Safety Funding
New York Senator Chuck Schumer has promised his constituents that they’ll receive “an effing lot of money” for cycling infrastructure, according to a recent report by Streetsblog. During a news conference at the Queensboro bridge discussing the freshly passed federal infrastructure bill, Schumer said that $289 million in federal funding will be directed toward making […]
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 […]
Debate Rages Over East Flatbush Bike Safety Proposals
A New York state legislator is working with a New York City transportation policymaker to stymie a move by the NYC Department of Transportation to make East Flatbush safer for cyclists, according to a recent report by StreetsBlog. The Assembly Member, Brooklyn’s Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn, and the Community Board 17 Transportation Committee Chairman, Roderick Daley, recently declared their […]
NYC Bill Would Make Food Delivery Companies Cover Accident Costs
New York City Council member Mark Gjonaj has introduced a bill that would require food delivery services like DoorDash and Uber Eats to reimburse delivery workers for “certain costs” resulting from vehicle crashes as they delivery food. According to a New York Post report and the City Council’s website, require the companies to reimburse expenses relating to medical treatment and property damage, […]
NYC Passes Construction Safety Superintendent Bill
The New York City Council has passed legislation that would “overhaul” construction safety in the city, according to a press release by the legislative body. The bill, Int 2276-2021, requires construction sites to assign a “designated full-time construction superintendent who would be responsible for safety and code compliance, along with overall management of the construction project.” This role would […]
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 […]