Transportation Alternatives, Families for Safe Streets Statements After Deadly Weekend of Traffic Violence Kills 4 People, Including a 7-Year-Old Girl
Fatalities come less than one week after City Council hearing on Vision Zero.
The City of New York must follow state law and increase visibility at every intersection through daylighting.
Traffic violence has killed 22 people so far in 2023.
NEW YORK — Traffic crashes killed four pedestrians, including a 7-year-old girl, over the weekend. Crashes have now killed 22 people in 2023, of which 11 were pedestrians.
On Friday night, the driver of a Ford SUV ignored a a stop sign and killed 7-year-old Dolma Naadhum in Astoria as she crossed the street.
Later that evening, an NYPD officer struck and killed home health aide Zabina Gafoor with their SUV while responding to a call in Far Rockaway.
Saturday, the driver of a Toyota SUV killed a Brooklyn pastor, Aracely Courtenay, in Flatbush.
Sunday morning, the driver of an SUV killed 47-year-old Felix Thomas Bontia during a hit-and-run while he was working in Morrisania.
These crashes show the danger of SUVs, which are 2.5 to 3 times deadlier to pedestrians than smaller passenger cars. Between 2016 and 2020, the number of SUVs owned by New Yorkers increased by 21%, according to our analysis. More than 60% of all personal vehicles in New York City are SUVs. In 2022, the deadliest year for children under Vision Zero, 13 out of16 child fatalities were by SUV-size vehicles or larger.
State law bans parking within 20 feet of intersections, but the City of New York overrode this law — allowing, in many cases, parking right up to the crosswalk. This limits visibility for everyone on our streets, especially drivers, preventing them from seeing people in the crosswalk.
TA and FSS called for universal intersection daylighting in NYC 25x25 and Seven Steps, our policy agenda for Mayor Adams and the City Council. By removing parking and using physical infrastructure, such as curb extensions, benches, Citi Bike docks, and bike parking, the City of New York can increase visibility and slow vehicle turning speeds.
Statement from Elizabeth Adams, Senior Director of Advocacy & Organizing at Transportation Alternatives:
“We are outraged and heartbroken after four pedestrians were killed in traffic violence this weekend, including 7-year-old Dolma Naadhum. Nobody should fear death or injury when they’re walking or crossing the street.”
“Our city’s children deserve to grow up without the threat of traffic violence, and the City of New York is failing them by ignoring street safety directives that are proven to save lives. There are basic steps this administration can take today to prevent deadly crashes, and this includes following state law requiring intersection visibility.”
Statement from Families for Safe Streets co-founder Amy Cohen:
“It is both tragic and telling that the weekend after the City Council held a hearing on Vision Zero — highlighting the many ways this administration has fallen behind on its legally mandated annual street redesign commitments — that four people lost their lives on the streets of New York City to traffic violence. To get Vision Zero back on track, we need to roll out street redesigns much more quickly across the five boroughs.”
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