Recent research by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety found that drivers using partial automation systems are often overly reliant on them, even treating them like full autopilot features. According to a report by Reuters, the industry group’s survey found specifically that users of Tesla Autopilot, General Motors Super Cruise, and Nissan/Infiniti ProPILOT Assist “said […]
Traffic Accidents
Reports: No Charges Yet Against Truck Driver in Deadly Brooklyn Crash
The driver of a tractor-trailer truck hit and killed a 25-year-old cyclist in Brooklyn last week. According to a report by Streetsblog, the incident occurred on Parkside Avenue near Parade Place, close to Prospect Park, on Wednesday, October 12th around 7am. Both the driver and the cyclist were traveling eastbound on Parkside Avenue when the […]
October is National Pedestrian Safety Month
The US Department of Transportation has declared October “National Pedestrian Safety Month,” according to a news release by the agency. The move comes amidst an epidemic of traffic violence that killed 6,516 pedestrians in 2020, according to the DOT, or 18 per day on average. “National Pedestrian Safety Month,” the announcement states, “celebrates the right […]
AAA: Automatic Braking Struggles to Stop Dangerous Crashes
New research by the American Automobile Association (AAA) suggests that automatic emergency braking (AEB) systems struggle to prevent crashes when cars are driving at normal speeds. According to a report by The Verge, which notes that new cars are required to include AEB systems as of September 2022, AAA tested four vehicles with the technology: […]
Reports: SUV Crash Kills Brooklyn Child
Traffic violence claimed the life of a 9-year-old child in Brooklyn, New York last week, when the driver of an SUV turned into a driveway and hit the boy, Young An Li, on the sidewalk. According to the New York Daily News, the incident occurred in Sheepshead Bay at approximately 2:35pm on Friday, September 16th. […]
NHTSA Pledges To Take Action On “Frontover” Crashes
The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration recently responded to a request by Congress to take actions to investigate and prevent “frontover” car accidents, in which vehicles with large blind spots strike and run over children. In an August 25, 2022 letter, NHTSA Administrator Steven Cliff told US Senator Richard Blumenthal that the agency “is committed […]
Report: SUV With 168 Violations Hits, Kills Bronx Woman
A New York City woman died last week after the driver of an SUV jumped the curb and struck her, impaling her on a metal fence. According to media reports, the 59-year-old Bronx resident, Paulina Nrecaj, was taken to a local hospital, where she died after surgery. “She was a good, sweet woman,” her daughter […]
Report: NYC to Address McGuinness Boulevard Safety Issues
New York City transportation authorities will implement short-term safety adjustments in advance of the large-scale redesign of a dangerous stretch of North Brooklyn roadway. According to a report by Streetsblog, the Department of Transportation has said it will implement painted median-tip extensions and daylighting measures on McGuinness Boulevard in Greenpoint, while banning left at certain […]
NYC’s 24/7 Speed Cameras Reveals Weekend Speeding Trends
Earlier this summer, New York City began operating its automated speed enforcement cameras 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The changes was the result of a recently passed state law lifting a previous mandate that the cameras only operate between 6am and 10pm on weekdays. According to a recent report by Streetsblog, the […]
Report: Truck Hits, Kills Cyclist in East New York Crash
A 43-year-old cyclist lost his life after being hit by the 52-year-old driver of a tractor-trailer truck in the Brooklyn neighborhood of East New York last week. According to ABC News, the cyclist was riding on Pennsylvania Avenue when the tractor-trailer driver turned onto Linden Boulevard, hitting him. The driver was not arrested at the […]
New Analysis Asks Whether New York Can Mandate Car Safety Tech
When New York State Senator Brad Hoylman introduced a bill in August that would mandate the use of speed governors and other advanced safety systems in vehicles registered in the state, some questioned whether New York actually had jurisdiction over the use of car safety technology. An analysis published by Streetsblog last week carefully examined […]
New York Lawmakers Propose New Drunk Driving Penalties
Newly proposed legislation in both New York’s Assembly and Legislature would require people convicted of drunk driving incidents that resulted in the death of a custodial parent to make child support payments until the victim’s child (or their children) reach 18 years old. According to a recent report by Streetsblog, New York State Senator Andrew […]
Report: Brooklyn Residents Call For Safer McGuinness Boulevard Redesign
The New York City Department of Transportation’s preliminary redesign plan for McGuinness Boulevard in Greenpoint, has received criticism from local residents and elected officials. The large, busy Brooklyn road has seen 1,548 reported car crashes in the last nine years, resulting in injuries to 40 cyclists, 59 pedestrians, and 236 drivers, according to a recent […]
Analysis: What Can the US Learn About Traffic Safety from Canada?
A recent analysis by Bloomberg examined why traffic fatalities have declined in Canada as they’ve risen dramatically in the United States. The differences between the two nations, which are “comparably young and similarly configured,” are dramatic: in 2020, 118 Americans for every million died in car crashes, while only 46 for every million died in […]
Survey: Construction Zone Car Crashes on the Rise
A new survey by HCSS Software Solutions and Associated General Contractors found that vehicle crashes continue to pose a threat to highway construction workers, as work zones likewise pose a threat to vehicle drivers and passengers. The survey found specifically that a whopping 64% of highway contractors “report that motor vehicles had crashed into their […]
Data: Vehicle-into-Building Crashes May Injure 16,000 Annually
As many as 100 vehicles crash into buildings every day in America, according to an audit by risk management company CHC Global of data gathered by the Storefront Safety Council. That number reflects an upward revision of the Council’s previous estimate that vehicles crash into buildings 60 times per day; it also reflects a total […]
NYC Expands School Zone Speed Camera Operation
School zone speed cameras will now operate 24 hours/day, seven days/week in New York City, thanks to new legislation signed last week by New York Governor Kathy Hochul. The approximately 2,000 speed cameras in the city’s 750 school zones were previously only able to operate from 6am to 10pm on school days. As a report […]
NHTSA Updates Child Safety Test Requirements for T-Bone Crashes
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, a division of the Department of Transportation, issued a final rule last week that “updates testing requirements for child safety seats to improve the protection of children during side-impact crashes,” according to a press release. The rule is designed to keep young children from sustaining serious injuries in motor […]
Research Uncovers Racial Disparities in Car Crash Deaths
A new study by researchers at Boston University and Harvard University, reported on by Streetsblog, found that Black and Hispanic Americans experience “systematically” higher fatality rates per 100 million miles traveled on US roads. Drawing on data provided by the 2017 National Household Travel Survey and the U.S. Fatality Analysis Reporting System, the study looked at miles traveled […]
NHTSA Report Details Hundreds of Automated Vehicle Crashes
A new standing general order published by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, a division of the Department of Transportation, released data on hundreds of car crashes involving automated driving technology. As Fox News reported, the report assembled ten months of car crash data gathered in conjunction with the agency’s investigation into the safety of automated vehicles. The NHTSA […]
NYC Lawmakers Pledge to Make School Zone Streets Safer
Responding to a recent Streetsblog report on the deadly streets surrounding New York City’s school zones, Mayor Eric Adams recently said that his administration will “do more” to reduce the traffic violence in those areas, found to be dramatically higher than averages elsewhere in the city, particularly in the morning and afternoon hours when students come to […]
NHTSA Offers Motorcycle Safety Tips
A total of 5,579 motorcycle drivers lost their lives in traffic crashes in 2020, according to data provided by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, a division of the Department of Transportation. In a resource providing safety tips to motorcyclists, who in 2020 were “28 times more likely than passenger vehicle occupants to die in a motor […]
Analysis: What’s Behind Pedestrian Highway Deaths?
As recently released data by the Governors Highway Safety Association revealed, almost 20% of pedestrian deaths in 2021 occurred on freeways and interstate highways. Noting that the GHSA speculated that those fatalities were largely among drivers who exited their vehicles, first responders, tow truck drivers, and construction workers, an analysis by Streetsblog proposes that this may not actually be […]
NYC Launches Pilot Program to Strengthen Bike Lanes
New York City’s bike lanes are about to get a little safer. According to a recent announcement, the city’s Department of Transportation is launching a pilot program to protect bike lanes with materials other than jerseys. As the announcement explains, the program falls under the city’s broader two-year initiative to harden half of its bike lanes […]
Why Pedestrian Car Crash Deaths Reached Record High in 2021
In 2021, according to projections by the Governors Highway Safety Association and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, as many as 7,845 pedestrians lost their lives in car crashes, the greatest number of fatalities since 1982. A new analysis by Streetsblogexamines why pedestrian fatalities reached a “40-year high” last year, concluding that the problem lies in street design and […]
