Traffic Justice
Streetsblog Basics
Cy Vance: $580 Fine for Driver Who Killed 9-Year-Old Cooper Stock
In separate stories published yesterday, family members of Marilyn Dershowitz and Cooper Stock, both lost to traffic violence, criticized Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance for his reluctance to file serious charges against motorists who kill people.
April 14, 2015
Cy Vance: Senior’s Crosswalk Death Remains Unsolved After Seven Months
No charges were filed by NYPD or Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance against the driver who fatally struck 82-year-old Sui Leung in a Manhattan crosswalk last fall. Though Council Member Margaret Chin said the NYPD crash report indicated Leung was walking with the right of way, Vance's office says the investigation has yet to conclude seven months after the crash.
March 31, 2015
No Charges for Cab Driver Who Killed Two People on Bronx Sidewalk
No charges have been filed against a cab driver who drove onto a sidewalk in the Bronx and killed a man and a young girl.
March 23, 2015
Crash Victim Lawsuit: App Use by Uber Drivers Is Negligent and Illegal
Erin Sauchelli, who was seriously injured by an Uber driver while walking in Manhattan, has filed a lawsuit claiming the app Uber drivers use to respond to hails causes driver distraction in violation of New York State law. The driver, Aliou Diallo, killed Sauchelli's boyfriend, Wesley Manning, in the collision, but he remains in good standing with the Taxi and Limousine Commission.
March 20, 2015
Working Families Party: Let’s Allow Bus Drivers to Run Over Working Families
The Working Families Party says it supports the City Council bill to exempt MTA bus drivers from the Right of Way Law, but its position is based on a misreading of the law and the premise that bus drivers, in the course of doing their jobs, should be allowed to strike people who have the right of way.
March 19, 2015
DMV Suspends License of Driver Who Killed Mathieu Lefevre for Six Months
The New York State Department of Motor Vehicles found the truck driver who killed Brooklyn cyclist Mathieu Lefevre responsible for the collision and suspended his driver's license for six months.
March 17, 2015
With Traffic Deaths Trending Downward, Lancman Attacks Right of Way Law
Police Commissioner Bill Bratton told the City Council today that NYC traffic fatalities have continued to drop in 2015, but not every council member is pleased with the city's recent steps to deter dangerous driving.
March 12, 2015
Driver Who Killed 9-Year-Old on Sidewalk Can Regain License in 5 Years
The driver who ran over two children on a Brooklyn sidewalk, killing 9-year-old Lucian Merryweather and injuring his 4-year-old brother, will serve no jail time and be eligible to legally drive again in five years, pursuant to a plea arrangement with Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson.
March 5, 2015
No Word on Whether Trucker Who Killed Mathieu Lefevre Will Keep License
More than three years after the crash, the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles held a hearing today to determine whether to take action against the truck driver who killed cyclist Mathieu Lefevre. But Lefevre's family will have to wait on a DMV decision.
March 2, 2015
Rory Lancman Worried NYPD Charging Too Many Drivers for Injuring People
This is pretty rich. In a city where hundreds of people get hurt by drivers who fail to yield each month, City Council Member Rory Lancman is concerned that police are "overapplying" the new Right of Way Law, which has been used all of 20 times since August.
March 2, 2015