Statement: When There Is a Known Danger, It Is the Responsibility of Our Leaders to Take Action

Statement of Transportation Alternatives Executive Director Danny Harris in response to a fatal car crash in the Bronx that killed a toddler in a stroller on the sidewalk:

“A one-year-old girl died today, killed on the sidewalk by the driver of a BMW SUV at East 215th Street and White Plains Road in the Bronx. The SUV driver jumped the curb and crushed his stroller against a wall. The entire Transportation Alternatives and Families for Safe Streets community sends our deepest condolences to the girl's family. 

Early reports suggest the driver, who was arrested at the scene, was intoxicated and unlicensed. This terrible tragedy comes exactly one week after a similar crash in Brooklyn in which the driver of an SUV reportedly had a seizure and jumped a curb, killing 10-year-old Enzo Farachio, who was standing on the sidewalk waiting for the bus. 

Traffic violence has become the norm in New York City, and it has to stop. When there is a known danger in our midst, it is the responsibility of the government to take action and restore safety. To counter the swelling tide of death and injury on our streets and sidewalks, we need swift, serious solutions from our elected leaders, including measures to limit the power and prevalence of cars across all five boroughs. 

All New Yorkers should be outraged. We deserve to feel safe on crosswalks, sidewalks, and streets. We deserve leaders who make our safety -- not unimpeded traffic flow, not free parking -- the top priority on our streets. This crash represents a chance for Mayor de Blasio to demonstrate real Vision Zero leadership: go to the scene of the crash, stand with the child’s family, and tell New Yorkers that he will do whatever it takes, right now and for the remainder of his time in office, to bring an end to the carnage. New York can’t lose another life to our deadly car addiction.”