Weekend of Carnage As Traffic Violence Kills 99-Year-Old Holocaust Survivor, 34-Year-Old Mother on E-Bike, Teenage Passenger in Car
Brooklyn is Epicenter of Traffic Violence Crisis, 41 Percent of This Year’s Fatalities Citywide Have Been in Brooklyn
99-year-old Holocaust survivor Jack Mikulincer killed by driver of car with ten school zone speeding violations, including five in 2021 – could have been taken off the road under initial, stronger version of Reckless Driver Accountability Act
79 percent of voters believe traffic injuries and fatalities are a serious problem; 85 percent of voters support efforts to improve crosswalk safety even if it takes away parking spots
Solutions urgently needed to save lives, including full investment and implementation of NYC Streets Plan and Albany passage of Crash Victim Rights and Safety Act
NEW YORK — From Friday to Sunday, traffic violence killed four New Yorkers, including a 34-year-old mother on an ebike killed by a school bus driver in Brownsville and a 99-year-old great-grandfather and Holocaust survivor using his electric wheelchair to cross the street to his Manhattan Beach synagogue killed by the driver of a BMW SUV. A teenage passenger in a car was also killed in a Crown Heights crash. So far in 2022, there have been at least 22 people killed in traffic crashes, an increase of 38 percent compared to this point in 2021. 16 of these deaths have been pedestrians or people on bikes, ebikes, motorcyclists, or mopeds.
Statement from Transportation Alternatives Deputy Director Marco Conner DiAquoi:
“Once again we are shaken by devastating, deadly traffic violence in New York City – especially in Brooklyn. Our hearts go out to the families of April Reign, Jack Mikulincer, and the others who were killed and injured by cars on dangerous streets this weekend.”
“What is most upsetting is that these deaths could have been prevented. April Reign was killed on a street with no protected bike lane, at an intersection previously identified by the City of New York as in the top four percent of deadliest intersections in Brooklyn. Jack Mikulincer was killed by the driver of a vehicle that had racked up multiple red-light camera violations, and ten tickets from speeding past school zone speed safety cameras — including five in 2021. Under the initial Reckless Driver Accountability Act drafted by former Council Member Brad Lander, this vehicle could have been taken off our streets. However, the former mayor watered-down this proposal — and renamed it the Dangerous Vehicle Abatement Program (DVAP) — and this car remained on the roads.”
“We need solutions to save lives now. These solutions start on the local level with action by Mayor Adams and the City Council. The DVAP must be strengthened. Vision Zero also needs an urgent investment to expand the tools that work. We are encouraged by Mayor Adams and Commissioner Rodriguez’s commitments to redesign 1,000 intersections for safety and upgrade protected bike lanes. These changes must be fast-tracked. We also need to advance work on the NYC Streets Plan and fund it fully so the benefits of safe streets come to every corner of our city. This goes hand in hand with our NYC 25x25 vision to reclaim space from cars for the sake of our health, economy, and safety.”
Statement from John Berman, Families for Safe Streets Member, Brooklyn resident, and son of Ellyn Schiff Berman, killed by the driver of a Brinks truck in 2019:
“On behalf of Families for Safe Streets, I share my deepest sympathies with the families of April Reign, Jack Mikulincer, and everyone killed on our streets over the weekend. I know first-hand the horrible pain of losing a parent to traffic violence. We need to prevent this heartbreak from happening to any other New Yorkers.”
“April Reign began biking more frequently during the pandemic, in part to cut her carbon footprint. She was wearing a helmet when she was killed. She could not survive being hit by a school bus at a chaotic, six-way intersection in Brownsville with no protected bike lane. Over the past five years, more than 85 people have been injured here. It is even a Vision Zero corridor. April’s death was preventable.”
“Jack Mikulincer survived concentration camps during the Holocaust. On Saturday, he could not survive simply trying to cross the street to get to his synagogue. He was wearing a neon safety vest but unsafe streets could not protect him from the deadly impact of a BMW SUV on Oriental Boulevard. This road is a known death trap, with two pedestrians killed here in recent years. After all of the horrors Jack Mikulincer witnessed in his life, and after losing his wife to injuries sustained in a car crash too, New York City could not keep him alive on our streets. This is devastating.”
“Families for Safe Streets is extremely concerned by the rise of traffic violence in Brooklyn. In Brooklyn, 2021 had 31 percent more fatalities than the safest year in recent history, 2016. So far in 2022, 41 percent of all fatal crashes citywide have been in Brooklyn. There must be urgent attention to and investment in Vision Zero by City Hall to keep these numbers from increasing further. We cannot let 2022 be another 2021 on our streets.”
“Albany must also do its part to help end the traffic violence crisis. Families for Safe Streets is proud to be part of the NYS Safe Streets Coalition, calling on Albany to pass the entire Crash Victim Rights and Safety Act this year. Albany legislators must also ensure that New York City’s speed safety camera program is strengthened. Jack Mikulincer was killed on a Saturday, when cameras were forced to be off, by a driver of a vehicle with numerous speeding violations. Albany must let New York City keep cameras on during nights and weekends so we can use this life-saving tool to its fullest potential and ensure no other New Yorker is killed while simply trying to cross the street.”
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