Will the New NYC reckless driving initiative help reduce car accidents fatalities and injuries?

Two years ago one of our clients, actress Ruthie Ann Miles and her five year old daughter were struck by a reckless driver as they were crossing the street in the crosswalk with the light in their favor. The daughter was killed and the actress who was pregnant at the time of the accident, later on lost the baby she was carrying. Another 1 year old child was also killed in the accident. The driver, Dorothy Burns, had a history of reckless driving. In the year preceding the accident she was caught 4 times speeding in school zone areas and 4 other times running a red light.

Despite the many Vision Zero Initiatives implemented since 2014, the number of people dying in traffic accidents increased again last year after 4 years of decline. Many accidents were caused by reckless driving.

In an effort to address this problem, the City Council is about to adopt a new program that targets reckless drivers. The reckless driving initiative is expected to start as a 3 years pilot. During that time any owner of a vehicle that is charged with 5 red light camera violations or 15 speed camera violations in a year will have to complete a safety course developed by the DOT. If a reckless driver refuses to attend the safety course his vehicle may be seized.

An estimated 5000 reckless drivers will have to attend a safety course

In New York City it is estimated that approximately 5000 vehicle owners will have to take the safety course. This is less that 1% of the two million vehicle owners with NYC registrations however these drivers are the biggest risk to other road users.

If the pilot is successful the city will then consider lowering the threshold for which drivers will have  to take the safety course.

Read more in the New York Times