According to data released in the Mayor’s Management Report, New York City motorists were issued 1,027,000 moving traffic citations in the fiscal year 2019. This is the lowest number of citations since 2015. Citations for speeding and running red lights fell 4.1% while citations for cellphone use fell by almost 15%. This decrease comes in spite of the fact that traffic violence has been on the rise in the city.
Pedestrian and Bicyclist Deaths
There have been a high number of pedestrian and bicyclist deaths across the city. In 2019, the number of bicyclist deaths more than doubled over the previous year. In addition, pedestrian deaths are up 12%. Reckless drivers are running rampant throughout the city, making it dangerous to be on the road, or even on the sidewalk. So why are there fewer traffic citations for these dangerous drivers? Mayor Bill de Blasio vowed a crackdown on dangerous drivers as part of the Vision Zero initiative, but that has not come to fruition. Some wonder whether the decrease in traffic citations has led to the jump in fatalities.
The report does note an increase in citations for Right of Way law violations to drivers who fail to yield to pedestrians and bicyclists. However, many of these tickets are dismissed as police officers fail to show up for hearings related to the tickets. This lack of follow-through makes the citations meaningless.
Moving Forward
While it is hard to draw a firm conclusion regarding the effect that the lack of citations is having on traffic accidents, it is clear that more enforcement is needed. Reckless and dangerous drivers need to be held accountable for their actions. With more vehicles on the road and tougher enforcement promised, there should be a steep increase in traffic citations. In order to achieve the goal of Vision Zero to eliminate traffic deaths, there must be an increase in traffic citations and more efforts to keep the city safe.
Contact a New York City Accident Attorney
If you’ve been injured in a car accident, you may need an experienced accident attorney on your side. At Bonina & Bonina, P.C., we have been helping car accident victims for over 50 years. Contact us online or call us at 1-888-MEDLAW1 to schedule your free consultation. Home and hospital visits are available. Se habla español.