Traffic Justice
Streetsblog Basics
15-Day Maximum Sentence for Unlicensed Driver Who Killed Bronx Senior
An unlicensed driver who killed a pedestrian in the Bronx last year was charged with only a traffic infraction that carries a nominal fine and a maximum 15-day jail term.
August 1, 2014
No Homicide Charge for Unlicensed Curb-Jumping Driver Who Killed SI Woman
A motorist who crashed on a Staten Island sidewalk was charged by District Attorney Dan Donovan with driving without a license and drug possession, but not for killing one pedestrian and hospitalizing another.
July 25, 2014
New York’s Top Court Exhibits Depraved Indifference to Pedestrians’ Lives
In a decision that may hinder future prosecutions of killer drivers, New York's highest court rejected the murder conviction of a car thief who fatally struck a Brooklyn pedestrian during a high-speed NYPD chase -- ruling that the defendant showed concern for others' safety by swerving around vehicles and people as he attempted to elude police.
July 23, 2014
Serial Unlicensed Driver Gets Misdemeanor Charge in Brooklyn Death
A man with an outstanding charge for driving without a license fatally struck a pedestrian in Brooklyn last December but faces only a second charge of unlicensed driving after taking someone's life.
July 2, 2014
Brooklyn DAs Ignore “Rule of Two” in Death of Pedestrian Maude Savage
An unlicensed motorist who killed a senior in Brooklyn last year has pled guilty to a low-level misdemeanor and could be sentenced to probation and a nominal fine. Though the driver was charged with violating two traffic laws, current and former district attorneys Ken Thompson and Charles Hynes declined to pursue criminal negligence charges under the so-called "rule of two."
June 24, 2014
Mother of Cooper Stock: NYPD Must Hold Reckless Cab Drivers Accountable
Update: According to a spokesperson for Mayor de Blasio, today's scheduled bill signing was postponed.
June 13, 2014
Bronx Hit-and-Run Driver Who Killed Abigail Lino Gets Six Months in Jail
A hit-and-run driver who killed a woman in the Bronx in 2013 will serve six months in jail.
June 11, 2014
A Powerful New Tool to Deter Traffic Violence — If Law Enforcers Use It
Last Thursday, the New York City Council passed Intro 238. This legislation makes it a misdemeanor for drivers to strike pedestrians or cyclists who have the right of way. Intro 238 has the potential to dramatically change driver behavior and advance the Vision Zero program of eliminating traffic fatalities. But without enforcement by NYPD and prosecutors, Intro 238 will be no more than an unheeded "message in a bottle."
June 3, 2014
Will DA Ken Thompson Investigate Killing of 14-Year-Old Nicholas Soto?
Following the vehicular killing of 14-year-old Nicholas Soto in Red Hook Monday morning, anonymous police sources were quick to blame the victim, though the crash happened near a school bus and sent Soto through the air, witnesses said. According to press accounts, NYPD won't say if the driver who struck Soto was speeding through an area of Red Hook where drivers routinely endanger lives. Meanwhile, the local precinct community council is scheduled to meet tonight.
June 3, 2014
Unlicensed Driver Who Killed Brooklyn Senior Convicted of Leaving Scene
A jury has convicted a motorist who, while driving without a license, fatally struck a Brooklyn senior and left the scene.
May 28, 2014