Transportation Alternatives Statement After Three Teenagers Are Killed in Staten Island Crash
Yesterday’s crash results in most children killed in traffic violence on any single day or in any single week since Vision Zero began
Fifteen New Yorkers aged 18-and-under have been killed in traffic violence this year, the most by this point in any year since Vision Zero began and a 2.5x increase over last year
123 traffic deaths citywide so far in 2022, a 29 percent increase from this point in 2018, which was the safest year of the Vision Zero era
STATEN ISLAND — On Sunday evening in Tottenville, a teenage driver of a Ford Mustang crashed into an SUV, killing his three teenage passengers. This crash occurred at the end of a deadly weekend when a pedestrian in Prospect Heights and motorcyclist on the BQE were killed in hit-and-runs, and an e-bike rider was also killed on the Upper East Side.
Sunday’s horrific crash and the death of 15-year-old Ashey Rodriguez, 15-year-old Jesie Gil, and 16-year-old Fernanda Gil means that Sunday, July 10, had the most children killed by traffic violence of any day since Vision Zero began.
Statement from Rose Uscianowski, Transportation Alternatives Staten Island and South Brooklyn Organizer:
“We are absolutely heartbroken that three young lives have been taken by deadly traffic violence. We send our deepest condolences to the families of Jesie Gil, Fernanda Gil, Ashey Rodriguez, and all who knew them. These three deserved a bright future. Now, like 120 other New Yorkers this year, their lives have been lost too soon as a result of a fatal car crash. This incident is devastating for all of us on Staten Island and New Yorkers citywide.”
“In the wake of this tragedy, we expect our leaders to step up and take action to prevent more senseless traffic deaths on Staten Island. Today’s announcement by Commissioner Rodriguez that the Hylan Boulevard road diet will be expedited is an important first step. But the administration must expand this project to cover the site of yesterday’s crash, and elected leaders on Staten Island must stop standing in the way of its implementation and other infrastructure changes that will slow down drivers and make our streets safer in the borough. A guiding principle of Vision Zero is that streets should be designed in a way that makes speeding impossible in the first place.”
“This crash took place on a Sunday, when speed safety cameras were turned off. When cameras are off, there is an open invitation to speed — and speeding kills. On August 1, speed safety cameras are finally going to be on every hour of every day, and we will have an effective tool to prevent these horrific crashes from happening.”
“Hylan Boulevard is Staten Island’s Boulevard of Death. Basic safety reforms should have been prioritized here years ago. Projects cannot just be expedited or implemented after tragedies. We must get Vision Zero back on track, make streets safe on Staten Island, and save lives citywide.”
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