Month: February 2011

Nassau County’s Hempstead Turnpike Retains Distinction A Being Most Dangerous Road for Pedestrians in NYC Region

This year’s report from the Tri-State Transportation Campaign concerning pedestrian safety in the New York City region finds that an average of 415 pedestrians are killed in New Jersey, downstate New York, and Connecticut each year.

The report, Most Dangerous Roads for Walking, uses three years of federal data to pinpoint the exact location of each pedestrian death in downstate New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. The chart below compares some of this year’s figures with last’s.

The most dangerous places for people to walk are roadways known as arterials – wide, high-speed roads designed to move as many cars … Read the rest

Red Light Cameras Reduces Rate of Fatal Red Light Running Crashes By 24 Percent in 14 Large Cities

We’ve written previously about whether red light cameras are primarily intended to raise revenue. A new analysis by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety shows red light cameras saved 159 lives in 2004-08 in 14 of the biggest US cities. Extrapolating this data to all large cities, a total of 815 deaths would have been prevented. The results shows that red light cameras reduce not only fatal red light running crashes, but other types of fatal intersection crashes as well.

Red light running killed 676 people and injured an estimated 113,000 in 2009.Sixty-four percent of the deaths were people other … Read the rest

2010 Marks Fewest Fatal Police-Involved Shootings Since 1971 and Lowest Number of Total Shooting Incidents by Police Since Formal Reporting Began 40 Years Ago

According to the New York City Police Department, police shot and killed eight subjects last year compared to 93 in 1971, the year to which reliable data on firearms discharges may be tracked. An additional 16 were wounded last year – another record low. The number wounded in 1971 was 221.

The record lows were recorded despite significant increases in the both the department’s headcount and capacity of its firearms compared to the 1970s. There were approximately 4,000 fewer officers (31,000 total) on the force in 1971 compared to 35,000 last year. Prior to 1993, New York City police officers … Read the rest

Move Over Act Requires Drivers On The Road To Make Room For Ambulances, Police Cars And Other Emergency Vehicles

Hoping to protect emergency responders on highways from themselves becoming involved in a motor vehicle accident, effective January 1, 2011, a new law in New York State, the Ambrose-Searles Move Over Act requires drivers to exercise due care to avoid colliding with an authorized emergency vehicle which is parked, stopped or standing on the shoulder of a road or highway with its emergency lights activated. Drivers must reduce speed on all roads when encountering such vehicles. Importantly, on parkways, interstates, and other controlled access highways with multiple lanes, drivers are further required to move from the lane immediately adjacent to … Read the rest

Bill to Set Minimum Safety Standards for Concussion Management in Schools Reintroduced in Congress

On January 26, 2011, Democratic lawmakers reintroduced legislation, Protecting Student Athletes from Concussions Act, that would set minimum safety standards for concussion management in public schools across the country.

The legislation would, for the first time, ask school districts to implement a concussion safety and management plan. It would require schools to post information about concussions on school grounds and on school websites. It would also support when in doubt, sit it out policies for students suspected of sustaining a concussion during a school-sponsored athletic activity.

The National Football League (NFL) has endorsed the legislation and is working on similar … Read the rest