Traffic Justice
Streetsblog Basics
DAs Insist They Don’t Call Car Crashes “Accidents,” Except When They Do
Among the demands Families For Safe Streets is making of district attorneys, one of the simpler changes is to stop using the word "accident" to describe traffic collisions. In exchanges this week, the offices of three district attorneys said in no uncertain terms that they already refrain from using the word "accident" in this manner. But that's not actually the case.
January 14, 2015
DA Cy Vance: Most Manhattan Traffic Deaths Aren’t Crimes
All Cy Vance wanted to do was talk computer crime at the Yale Club, but Sofia Russo, who lost her daughter to traffic violence, wouldn't let him stick to the script.
January 13, 2015
Families of Traffic Violence Victims Demand Justice From District Attorneys
Braving the cold, more than 150 people gathered on the steps of City Hall yesterday to demand that New York City's five district attorneys begin filing charges against reckless drivers who kill and injure New Yorkers on the streets.
January 12, 2015
Sunday: Families For Safe Streets to Train Spotlight on Feckless NYC DAs
Since January 2012, Streetsblog has maintained a database of all known pedestrians and cyclists killed by drivers in New York City. We collect as much information on each crash as possible, including any charges filed against the motorists who took the victims' lives.
January 8, 2015
DMV Judge Delays Action Against License of Driver Who Killed Allison Liao
An administrative law judge for the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles today deferred a decision concerning the driver's license of the motorist who killed 3-year-old Allison Liao.
January 6, 2015
NYPD: 1,295 Pedestrians and Cyclists Injured, 14 Killed in Traffic in November
Twenty-five people died in New York City traffic in November, and 4,222 were injured, according to the latest NYPD crash data report [PDF].
December 22, 2014
DA Robert Johnson: No Charges for Driver Who Killed Child on Bronx Sidewalk
Bronx District Attorney Robert Johnson filed no charges against a motorist who drove on a sidewalk outside a Bronx school in October, striking 10 people and killing 8-year-old Rylee Ramos.
December 19, 2014
Vance Deal: $400 Fine for Unlicensed Driver Who Killed Senior in Crosswalk
An unlicensed driver who fatally struck a senior as she crossed the street with the right of way will pay a $400 fine, pursuant to a plea arrangement with Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance.
December 18, 2014
Does Cy Vance Use His Surveillance Camera Bank to Fight Traffic Violence?
In New York City, if you hit someone with a motor vehicle and keep driving, odds are you will get away with it. NYPD made arrests in just 25 percent of fatal hit-and-run crashes in 2012, according to Transportation Alternatives. And in many cases where the driver is eventually identified, a simple "I didn't see her" is all it takes to satisfy prosecutors and police.
December 12, 2014
Driver With Revoked License Not Charged for Killing East Flatbush Senior
A driver with a revoked license killed a senior in Brooklyn Tuesday. As of Wednesday he was not charged by NYPD or District Attorney Ken Thompson for causing a death.
December 11, 2014