With the intense traffic in New York City and the large population traffic accidents are unavoidable. Accidents occur every day in the city but it is truly heartbreaking when injuries and even death are suffered, especially when the accident could have been avoided. Thankfully, city officials have been working hard to improve the safety of pedestrians, cyclists, and motorists, and the recent statistics show that it is paying off! NYC pedestrian deaths dropped dramatically and last year the overall traffic fatalities in the city were at the lowest ever recorded!
Vision Zero
These successes in increased safety have been attributed to the efforts made through Vision Zero. The plan or purpose of Vision Zero is to reduce the death and serious injuries on the streets of New York City. The Action Plan was released in 2014 and was comprised of various initiatives that were agreed upon by multiple city agencies and the Mayor’s Office. In 2014 the plan began with 63 separate initiatives and has the plan grew each year more were added. An additional 40 were added in 2015, 22 in 2016 and finally another 26 in 2017. There is now a total of 151 initiatives which anyone can view the status, description and agency in charge of carrying it out online.
Steps To Safety
The Vision Zero action plan as four main ways that it plans to and has started to make streets safer. This is done through public dialogue and education, law enforcement, street design, and legislation. Education has been directed at schools and afterschool programs and outreach has been focused at senior centers. There are demonstrations on safety which are open to the public. Street teams have been formed to convey safety messages in particularly dangerous areas for motorists, pedestrians, and cyclists. The NYPD has also increased their enforcement of certain laws in order to deter people from making choices that are particularly high-risk such as texting while driving. NYC DOT is making improvements to street design in order to increase safety such as installing more pedestrian signals in high priority locations. Legislation is changing to increase safety measures as well. The State gave authorization to NYC in 2014 to increase the speed camera program, continue the red light camera program, and enact a citywide 25 mph speed limit.
Partnering With Success
While the government is doing a great deal to make improvements and reduce the number of fatalities and injuries they are not alone in their efforts. Partnerships have been made with numerous groups such as Cab Riders United and the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Volpe Center. The statistics clearly speak for themselves. Hopefully, more cities will follow in New York City’s footsteps and makes strides to decrease the number of accidents and fatalities seen each year.
If you or a loved one was injured and want to pursue a personal injury lawsuit, contact us at:
Lipsig, Shapey, Manus & Moverman
1392 Boston Rd
Bronx, NY 10456
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