A series of deadly car accidents in New York: 6 pedestrians died in 3 days

New York City authorities are working to improve street safety. Despite this, the number of fatal accidents increased by 8% compared to 2018. So, in just 72 hours, six pedestrians died under the wheels of cars. This publication writes The New York Times.

A total of six pedestrians died from Wednesday, December 18, to Friday, December 20, as a result of a series of traffic accidents in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens in New York.

So, one woman died from a truck collision; another person was hit by a private ambulance truck; the third was shot down immediately by three vehicles. Three out of six victims were over 65.

The deaths of these people reminded residents and officials of the dangers that still hang over the streets of New York. This happens despite the steps taken by the administration of Mayor Bill de Blasio and the city council to improve street safety.

“The recent fatal traffic accidents have made us even more determined to move Vision Zero forward,” the mayor said Sunday, December 22.

About the Vision Zero Initiative

Since Bill de Blasio announced his Vision Zero plan to eliminate road traffic deaths, street safety has "become the signature of his mayor post."

As part of this initiative, the city, to make street stays safer, provided pedestrians an advantage at pedestrian crossings and installed an additional 224 speed cameras throughout the city. In October, the mayor and city council also agreed on a $ 1,7 billion plan that would increase the number of protected bike lanes.

On the subject: The streets of New York will be made safer: the authorities approved a restructuring plan for $ 1,7 billion

The reason for the increase in the number of deaths

To explain the increase in deaths, researchers point to the popularity of SUVs and trucks, which, due to their size, kill pedestrians more often than small cars, and the spread of smartphones that can distract both drivers and pedestrians.

As of December 19, since the beginning of the year, 114 pedestrians have died as a result of car collisions in New York, compared with 110 in 2018, according to police. The number of deaths of cyclists this year has more than doubled.

At a press conference on Friday, December 20, William T. Morris, head of the New York City Police Department’s transportation department, said that while the number of collisions throughout the city had decreased, the number of fatal accidents increased by about 8% compared with the past. the year when the city recorded the lowest level of road deaths in more than a century.

“We've had a tough and challenging year with Vision Zero,” said Polly Trottenberg, the city's transportation commissioner, on Sunday. “And as 2019 draws to a close, we want to make sure this holiday season is happy and safe for all New Yorkers.”

How do you plan to improve road safety

On Monday, December 23, city officials will announce plans to increase police control over commercial trucks that were involved in four of six pedestrian deaths last week.

Danny Harris, executive director of transit alternatives for Transportation Alternatives, said on Sunday: “New York continues to lead the way in street design and street safety, but our processes are too slow and we still need more elected officials to get up and fight for people due to traffic. ”

According to city officials, it’s not unusual for a surge in road deaths by the end of the year. The fact is that at this time it was getting dark earlier, and there were more people on the streets due to the holiday season. But the death of six people in just 72 hours is alarming, the author emphasizes.

About the dead

On Wednesday morning, December 18th, Lin Zhisheng, 67, was walking along Main Street in Flushing, Queens, when he was hit by a car. Later that day, the 75-year-old Xue You crossed the 52nd Street in Sunset Park in Brooklyn when a 21-year-old girl riding a white jeep turned left and knocked her down.

The next day, December 19, at about 15:30, a truck driving along Third Avenue near Sunset Park hit 85-year-old Brendan Gill when he was crossing the street.

A few hours later on Broadway, near Howard Street, in the Soho area of ​​Manhattan, a Ferraro Foods truck hit Katherine Miller, 26 years old. The woman died from the injuries at the scene.

On Friday morning, December 20, the deaths of road accidents in the city continued. At about 4:45 a.m., a private ambulance truck hit a man who was walking along a designated pedestrian crossing in the Hell's Kitchen area in Manhattan. His name was not publicly announced.

About an hour later, Andres Stylianou, 57 years old, became the sixth fatal accident victim. First, he was hit by a truck traveling in one direction, and then two cars traveling in the opposite direction to Govanus, Brooklyn.

According to a traffic accident, two people were arrested by New York City police.