New York City Sees Major Jump in Traffic Deaths This Year

Recent reports indicate New York City saw a major surge in traffic deaths over the course of the last year, marking a big setback after the significant progress that had been made under the Vision Zero push.

Police statistics showed the number of people killed by cars in the city went up by 30 percent over the first several months of the year. New York had been the first city in the nation to launch a Vision Zero campaign, and it has been bucking the trend of rising pedestrian accidents across the country. In fact, a couple years ago, traffic accident deaths hit a record low of 200.

However, deaths were on pace to rise for the first time since the start of the initiative, with 65 people killed so far in 2019. That’s up from 50 in the same period last year.

What’s prompting the increase?

There are several theories as to why these numbers are on the rise. Some people say Mayor Bill de Blasio and his administration have not been fast enough in rebuilding some particularly dangerous streets around the city and have been giving into complaints from motorists who say the addition of pedestrian islands and protected bike lanes are an inconvenience. In addition, some say crackdowns on delivery cyclists has also taken away some of the safety measures that had previously been implemented.

Now the city is also courting fines for pedestrians who text while crossing the street, which many say punishes people those are more likely to be victims.

For more information on the current state of traffic deaths in the city and beyond and the steps you should take if you’ve been injured in an accident, contact a skilled personal injury lawyer with Jakubowski, Robertson, Maffei, Goldsmith & Tartaglia, LLP.