Majority Of 2014 Traffic Deaths Have Occurred In Brooklyn
Marisol Martinez, 21, was struck by a city bus in Williamsburg on March 1. Image via Pix 11
Despite the NYPD’s best efforts, 2014 continues to be a frightening time to be on the streets of New York City. The speed at which we do things has always been a point of pride, but it’s become abundantly clear that New Yorkers need to slow down.
Today, WNYC’s data lab shared a new chart featuring the names and ages of those involved in this year’s 46 traffic-related deaths. Some are victims of car crashes or bike accidents, but many more are pedestrians.
According to WNYC’s data, 59 percent of 2014’s traffic deaths involved pedestrians and, most powerfully, a red dropdown arrow reveals exactly where they were standing and what time it was when the accident occurred. A quick look shows that 24 percent of this year’s pedestrian deaths occurred in Brooklyn and the majority (35 percent) of all traffic fatalities occurred in our borough as well.
Still, by far, the most heartbreaking aspect of this illustration is that this rash of traffic accidents hasn’t been discriminatory in the least. People from Williamsburg to Sheepshead Bay have lost their lives and victims have been as young as 5-year-old Rashard Charles, who died in Crown Heights three days ago and as old as Illuminada Torres and Ruben Rivera, who were both 81 at the time of their deaths.
For more details about the victims, check out the interactive graph below:
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