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As Traffic Violence Increases, NYPD Issues Fewer Moving Violations To Drivers
By
Jake Offenhartz
Published Sep 18, 2019
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ADWAIT PATIL / GOTHAMIST
By
Jake Offenhartz
Published Sep 18, 2019
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Deaths of New York City pedestrians and cyclists are through the roof this year, so why is the NYPD issuing fewer moving violations to drivers?
According to data released by the Mayor’s Management Report, motorists were hit with 1,027,000 moving violations in fiscal year 2019, the lowest total since 2015. For offenses classified as hazardous violations—such as speeding or running a red light—summonses decreased by 4.2 percent, from 942,684 in FY 2018 to 902,482 in FY 2019. Illegal cell phone use summonses also fell nearly 15 percent.
The apparent roll back in enforcement comes as Mayor Bill de Blasio has vowed a crackdown on dangerous drivers, spurred in part by mounting public outrage to recent traffic violence. “We're going to use the power of NYPD enforcement on motorists to try and immediately jolt the situation," de Blasio said in July, following a trio of cyclist deaths. (The city’s fiscal year begins on July 1st and ends on June 30th; more recent data on moving violations was not immediately available.)
This year’s 21 cyclist fatalities represent the largest total in the Vision Zero era. Pedestrian deaths are also up 12 percent between FY 2018 and 2019, according to the report, and have continued to climb since then. In the last eight days, two separate children—a 10-year-old and a 1-year-old—have been killed on the sidewalk by drivers who jumped the curb.
“It's problematic in a year of increasing fatalities,” said Marco Conner of Transportation Alternatives, of the drop in moving violations. “You can't help but wonder whether there's a connection between this drop and the increase [in deaths].”
A spokesperson for the Mayor’s Office did not respond to Gothamist’s inquiries. The report does note that the NYPD issued 3,632 Right of Way law violations to drivers who fail to yield to pedestrians and cyclists, up from 3,137 the previous year.
But advocates contend that the Right of Way law, which was passed in 2014, is failing as well, due to police officers not showing up to Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings.
“They're being dismissed en masse,” said Steve Vaccaro, an attorney who often represents cyclists. “If this administration really wants to see Vision Zero implemented, it’s going to make sure cops show up at hearings for Right of Way law violations.”
Vaccaro noted that it was hard to draw firm conclusions from the drop in moving violations, and pointed to the addition of speed cameras as a more effective deterrent to driver misbehavior (the figures don’t include violations issued by the automated cameras). In March, the state legislature voted to approve an expansion of the city's speed camera program, authorizing the city to install speed cameras in every school zone.
Street safety advocates have called for legislation that would target the most dangerous motorists, including Councilmember Brad Lander’s Reckless Driver Accountability Act. The bill was introduced over a year ago, and has still not moved forward.
A spokesperson for the Mayor’s Office told Gothamist in July the administration was still reviewing the bill.
Tagged
mayor bill de blasio
nypd
vision zero
reckless driving
reckless drivers
Jake Offenhartz
Jake Offenhartz is a former Gothamist reporter.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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