Over the last 10 years, the number of traffic accident fatalities in New York City has dropped by about 30 percent, reaching an all-time low. Unfortunately, we can’t say the same as pedestrian fatalities are on the rise nationwide.
Officials with the New York City Department of Transportation (NYCDOT) credit their traffic engineer program and the aggressive enforcement from NYPD for reducing the overall number of traffic accident fatalities. But still, speeding continues to be the number one contributing factor in all kinds of accidents throughout the city.
Our New York City pedestrian accident lawyers understand that a vehicle that hits a child while traveling at 40 mph is about 70 percent likely to kill that pedestrian. If the same scenario happened, but a car is traveling at just 30 miles per hour, there is an 80 percent chance the child will survive. By dropping the speed limits (assuming drivers slow down) we can help to save the lives of pedestrians across the city.
With a new speed camera legislation, city officials are hoping that 20 new speed cameras throughout the city will help to save pedestrians.
In New York City, speed was a factor in more than 80 percent of fatal car accidents in 2012 and roughly 30 percent of fatalities.
If you’re busted speeding through any of these 20 locations, you can bet on a fine.
There are already nearly 200 red-light cameras throughout the city. With these red light cameras are pedestrian countdown signals.
But officials haven’t stopped there. They’ve also conducted a number of safety education campaigns, and completed new intersection designs and Neighborhood Slow Zones to help to put an end to these kinds of accidents.
To help to support the addition to these new speed cameras, NYCDOT officials made a map of intersections at roughly 100 locations in which about 75 percent of the vehicles that were recorded speeding were less than a half a mile away from New York City school zones. And that’s important because children face some of the highest risks for these kinds of accidents.
Unintentional pedestrian injuries are the second leading cause of death in the United States for children ages 5 to 14. Teenagers are now at greatest risk. Teens have a death rate twice that of younger children and account for half of all child pedestrian injuries in the past five years.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), there were more than 300 pedestrians killed in the state of New York in 2010. These fatalities accounted for nearly 30 percent of all of the traffic accident fatalities recorded throughout the year. And many of these lives could have been saved if passing traffic slowed down a little bit. The faster we’re going, the less likely a pedestrian is going to survive a collision. It’s a simple equation that has the potential to save lives.
If you or someone in your family has been injured or killed in an accident, contact Nicholas Rose to set up a free and confidential consultation to discuss your rights. Call 1-877-313-ROSE (7673) today!
More Blog Entries:
Speeding Driver Injures New York Schoolchildren Waiting for Bus, New York Injury Lawyer Blog, February 20, 2013
NYC Traffic Safety: Tips for Biking and Walking in Winter, New York Injury Lawyer Blog, January 8, 2013