Articles Posted in Auto Accidents

To prevent vehicle accidents related to inadequate tire pressure, since 2008 all vehicles in the US are equipped with a tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS). If the icon on the left is appearing on a car dash board it means that the pressure in the tires has reached a dangerous level and action is required by the driver. Unfortunately according to a recent consumer study 42% of drivers don’t know what this icon means, additionally 10% of drivers ignore the warning and continue to drive.

Speeding is the leading cause of traffic accident deaths in New York City but the 160 new speed cameras requested by New York City Mayor De Blasio as part of the Vision Zero action plan have been denied by Albany. Also denied were speed cameras for Nassau County, Long Island.

The installation of new speed cameras are part of De Blasio’s Vision Zero plan to reduce traffic fatalities. According to the Vision Zero action plan, previous studies in other cities such as Washington DC show that fatalities have been reduced by 20% at intersections where speed cameras were installed.

There is still hope that New York may get new speed cameras though. A bill from Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver would make up for much of what was lost in budget negotiations, bringing speed cams to Long Island and expanding NYC’s automated speed enforcement program by 120 cameras. With Silver sponsoring this bill, it should pass the Assembly. The question is whether it will also find a champion in the State Senate majority. Senate Co-Leader Jeff Klein led the push to create NYC’s school zone speed cam program after Senator Marty Golden stymied automated speed enforcement in last year’s budget.

New York Motor vehicle accident data that are made available to the public are not detailed and difficult to analyze. Recently at a Vision Zero Town Hall at John Jay College, the NYPD Chief of Transportation Thomas Chan told Streetblog that better information regarding traffic accidents will soon be available on the Vision Zero website.

Other subjects discussed during the meeting included:

– collaboration between the police and the DOT to educate the public about street safety

In February 12 people died as a result of vehicle accidents among them 8 pedestrians, 1 cyclist, 1 passenger and 2 drivers. This is the lowest number of monthly traffic fatalities in more than a year. Last month a total of 21 people died in traffic accidents in NYC and a year ago in February 2013 there were 20 deaths.

It is too early to see a trend however it looks like the first Vision Zero initiatives may have helped to make NYC streets safer in February. We’ll see in the coming months if the trend continues.

The number of people who suffered personal injury in a traffic accident in NYC was also lower compared to the previous month and compared to the same month a year ago.