New York City's road deaths skyrocket despite declining traffic

Deaths from road traffic accidents in New York City rose sharply in 2020, despite a decrease in the number of cars on the roads due to the pandemic. What was the reason, the newspaper writes New York Post.

According to the New York City Department of Transportation, 4 people died on the city's roads as of October 175, up from 169 in the same period last year.

The fatalities in accidents this year included 38 motorcyclists and 50 motorists, up from 22 and 37 respectively in the same period last year.

There were no fewer cyclists who died in road accidents this year than a year earlier. The most recent victim was a Brooklyn nurse named Clara Kang, who died over the weekend; she was 31 years old.

As of October 4, 2019, 23 cyclists had died on New York City roads, and by the end of the year there were 28 fatalities - the highest cyclist death rate in two decades.

The rise in road traffic deaths occurred despite a sharp drop in traffic at the height of the pandemic and in the months that followed.

Road safety expert Matt Carmody said that on wide streets such as Third Avenue where Kang died, drivers had been speeding before the pandemic. The decrease in the number of cars on the roads only exacerbated the problem. “The death rate increased because there was no normal congestion and people could go much faster,” Carmody said.

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The problem is that city streets are not designed for cars to travel at speeds 25 km / h faster than the established speed limit. “There is not much room for mistakes,” the expert added.

A report released last week by the federal government gives similar figures. Although there was a 2020% reduction in traffic across the country in the first six months of 16,6, pedestrian deaths fell by only 2%. “Too many drivers viewed empty roads as an incentive to engage in risky behavior such as speeding, drunk driving and driving without restrictions,” said Jonathan Adkins, director of the Governors Highway Safety Association.

Danny Harris, director of Transportation Alternatives, a non-profit organization working to change New York's transportation priorities and encourage residents to stop using cars, blamed the mayor for this. He believes Bill de Blasio is ignoring the work of a group formed in May to advise the mayor on transport issues. “Trauma continues on our streets. The mayor not only ignored the advice of his Ground Transportation Advisory Board to address the issue, but also cut the budget for Vision Zero (an international program to improve road safety and reduce road traffic deaths - Ed.), Harris said. "We should start building new infrastructure and safe streets."