Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
"Crash, Not Accident": Hundreds March To Remember Those Killed By Drivers
By
Nick Pinto
Published Nov 16, 2015
Modified Nov 16, 2015
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
Ed Reed / Mayoral Photography Office
By
Nick Pinto
Published Nov 16, 2015
Modified Nov 16, 2015
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
About 200 people, dressed in bright yellow and carrying signs with the slogan "Crash, Not Accident," marched from City Hall Park to Dag Hammarskjold Plaza near the United Nations yesterday as part of the World Day of Remembrance, an international event commemorating those killed or injured in road traffic.
At least thirteen people have been killed by vehicular traffic in New York in the last three weeks, raising questions about whether the city-wide Vision Zero initiative is working. The recent deaths aren't such a departure from decades of New York City traffic deaths, said Paul Steely White, executive director of Transportation Alternatives, one of the organizers of the event.
"What's different lately is that people are now taking notice. People now understand that death and serious injury on our streets is not something we have to live with. The media is paying more attention."
Speaking to the crowd at City Hall Park, Mayor Bill de Blasio said the city is making progress, redesigning more than 130 streets and intersections, installing speed cameras, and lowering speed limits. "We've come a long way," the mayor said. "When you compare this year to two years ago, in 2013, if we had continued to lose people at the same rate as 2013, there would have been 92 more people lost."
But instituting the necessary design changes, like protected bike lanes, is still too often contingent on the whims of local community boards rather than being adopted as common-sense necessities, said White.
Mayor de Blasio speaks at yesterday's memorial (Ed Reed / Mayoral Photography Office)
"This is still a very political issue," he said. "We're not yet there where these common sense improvements are done routinely, are done without asking for permission." He added that there's also much more the City can do on the enforcement side.
"The [NYPD Crash Investigation Team] is still only about 20 strong, so there are only a few on duty at any time. That means that if there multiple crashes, they can be spread very thin."
In addition, he said, police still often give quotes to the press exonerating drivers before investigations are complete, while newspapers then perpetuate the idea that these crashes are unpreventable "accidents."
Shawheen Hazrati, whose cousin's 9-year-old son Lucian Merryweather was killed by an SUV driver in 2013, said that while it's easy to focus attention on the drivers in fatal crashes, the problem is more systemic.
"It's not just the person trapped in the moment," Hazrati said. "It's a larger social question. We're all under pressure in this car culture. We all have to figure out ways to step back, to slow down."
The biggest challenge in reducing traffic deaths remains communicating the urgency of the issue to those who haven't lost a loved one, said Judy Kottick of Montclair, New Jersey, whose 23-year-old daughter Ella Bandes was killed by a bus at a notoriously dangerous intersection in Ridgewood in 2013.
"I think it's still hard for people who haven't been directly affected to take in the scale of the loss," she said. "For a lot of people, it's numbers, an unfortunate statistic, and the reaction is, 'Yeah, that's too bad.' I was like that too. But these are real families that have been destroyed."
Tagged
families for safe streets
pedestrian safety
vision zero
original
Nick Pinto
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
NYC Council to consider earlier Legionella reporting after deadly outbreaks
A bill facing a hearing Monday would require cooling tower owners to notify city health officials when bacteria levels reach a much lower threshold.
By
Catalina Gonella
Published Oct 18, 2026 at 7:36 p.m. ET
Staten Island fire injures 2, but spares historic 'Godfather' church
Dozens of firefighters responded to the blaze, which started in a vacant warehouse. It was contained within three hours.
By
Giulia Heyward
News
Staten Island fire injures 2, but spares historic 'Godfather' church
Dozens of firefighters responded to the blaze, which started in a vacant warehouse. It was contained within three hours.
By
Giulia Heyward
Bail reform remains major issue in NY governor's race, 7 years after it became law
By
Gino Fanelli
NYPD identifies Bronx man, 26, killed in Midtown subway shooting
By
Ryan Kost
,
Elizabeth Kim
and
Phil Corso
Have you seen this Yorkie? NYPD looking for adorable pup dognapped from her Queens home
By
Ryan Kost
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .