A report from the advocacy group Transportation Alternatives is criticizing not just the New York Police Department, but also the city’s Vision Zero street-safety initiative for what it is calling a “piecemeal enforcement approach” to drivers who speed and violate laws, putting the lives of pedestrians and bicyclists in danger. According to a news report in The Wall Street Journal, the city’s data raises red flags. Pedestrian and bicyclist injuries have increased by nearly 12 percent from January through May compared with the same period last year and bicyclist fatalities rose from four to nine. Pedestrian deaths have fallen from 51 to 46.
More Enforcement Equals Safety
Also, the NYPD has issued more summonses to drivers for speeding and failing to yield. But the group is saying that enforcement is not consistent throughout the city and where there is a drop in enforcement, there is an increase in dangerous driving. For example in NYPD’s 114th Precinct, which includes Astoria, there was a 25 percent increase in injuries and a drop in traffic summonses. But the 122nd Precinct in Staten Island more than doubled its citations for failure to yield to pedestrians and saw a 25 percent drop in injury rates.
The report also stated that only 2.5 percent of the city’s hit-and-run crashes, which includes pedestrians and bicyclists, end in arrests or moving violations. An NYPD spokesman said the department was committed to ensuring the safety of all pedestrians and bicyclists in the city, which they say, includes increased enforcement against the most dangerous traffic violations on city streets. City Hall officials said the Vision Zero program made it a priority to add bike lanes and toughen enforcement against reckless drivers.
The Transportation Alternatives report recommends that the city support the expansion of cameras and making traffic violation information more publicly accessible. The group also suggests that police divert resources toward citing the most dangerous traffic offenders. Advocates say the data clearly shows that reckless driving is endangering far more lives than bicyclists riding without bells or running red lights.
Examples of Negligent Driving
The safety advocates who compiled this report are accurate in their assessment that reckless driving causes many more injuries and deaths than pedestrians who may be acting carelessly. Many of the most serious injury and fatal pedestrian and bicycle accidents in New York City are caused by reckless drivers who operate under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs; drive while distracted or inattentive; drive while fatigued or drowsy; fail to yield the right of way to pedestrians and bicyclists; or swerve into bike lanes. Drivers who operate in a reckless or negligent manner can be held accountable for the injuries and damages they cause.
Compensation for Injured Victims
Injured victims of pedestrian and bicycle accidents can seek compensation from at-fault parties for damages including, but not limited to, medical expenses, lost wages and benefits, hospitalization, rehabilitation, permanent injuries, disabilities, past and future pain and suffering, etc. Pedestrian and bicycle accidents often cause serious and disabling injuries such as brain injuries, spinal cord trauma, multiple broken bones, internal injuries and amputations.
A number of these injuries may have long-term or lifelong consequences. In many cases, victims may be unable to return to work and earn a livelihood. So, in these types of accidents, not only do the victims suffer, but their families also bear the devastating consequences. The value or worth of a claim often depends on the nature and extent of injuries sustained by the victim and the damages he or she may have suffered as a result of those injuries.
Contacting an Experienced Lawyer
If you or a loved one has been injured in a pedestrian accident or if you have lost a loved one in an auto accident caused by a reckless driver or due to someone else’s negligence, the experienced New York personal injury attorneys at the Law Offices of Kenneth A. Wilhelm can help you better understand your legal rights and options, and also fight hard to recover just compensation for you. Our law firm recently recovered $5,600,000 for a man who was hit by a van, and $2,550,000 for another victim of a truck accident, and $3,000,000 for a pedestrian who was hit by a car, and the full $1,000,000 insurance policy for a pedestrian who was hit by a truck.
Please contact us TOLL FREE 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 1-800-WORK-4-YOU (1-800-967-5496). WE CAN EVEN COME TO YOU. There is no attorneys’ fee unless we recover money for you. We can also help with personal injury cases in New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, or Florida. If you have been seriously injured in any of the 50 U.S. states, please call us and we will try to help you with your case.
Other TOLL FREE phone numbers for us are:
1-800-RADIO-LAW, 1-888-WYPADEK, OR 1-800-LAS-LEYES
Please visit us at: www.WORK4YOULAW.com
Source: http://www.wsj.com/articles/advocacy-group-knocks-city-on-pedestrian-cyclist-safety-1469678340