Pedestrian Traffic Deaths At All-Time Low
Finally, some good news. Remember Mayor de Blasio’s “Vision Zero” plan to reduce deaths and injuries from traffic laws? Seems like its working. As of Sunday, the number of pedestrians killed in traffic accidents in New York City this year was 131. That might sounds like a lot, but it’s actually the lowest number of fatalities for pedestrians since 1910, when the city started keeping records and the vehicles to watch out for were horse-drawn wagons and not frenzied Uber drivers. It’s still a bad idea to weave through cars on your way across Flatbush Avenue, though.
“There is no question we are moving this city in the right direction, thanks to stepped-up enforcement by the NYPD, strong traffic safety measures by the Department of Transportation, new laws passed by our legislators, and the work of New Yorkers fighting for change,” Mayor de Blasio told the New York Daily News. “This year shows that when we put the force of government and the will of the city behind a goal like Vision Zero, we can get results and make our streets safer.”
For comparison, last year’s pedestrian fatality total was 177 pedestrians. The previous all-time low was in 2007, with 142 deaths. The Mayor’s new measures have included enforced “slow zones” along with lowering the overall speed limit and increasing the numbers of speed cameras.