Magnified lawyers
Luis GONZALES
5 years ago
SUNSET PARK, NY – According to Patch.com, a child was struck by a vehicle on 56th Street at about 3:30 in the afternoon. The 7-year-old boy is the third pedestrian to be hit in the neighborhood this year. The child was reportedly trying to get to his grandmother’s home when he was hit. The boy’s […]
Child hit in Sunset Park
SUNSET PARK, NY – According to Patch.com, a child was struck by a vehicle on 56th Street at about 3:30 in the afternoon. The 7-year-old boy is the third pedestrian to be hit in the neighborhood this year. The child was reportedly trying to get to his grandmother’s home when he was hit.
The boy’s father said that his son “flew up in the air” when he was hit. The driver is being charged with unlicensed operation of a vehicle and failure to yield.
Pedestrian accidents hit their lowest ever levels in 2017 in New York City. The Vision Zero initiative was applauded for its ability to lower the number of vehicle-related deaths across the city overall, but especially for its huge improvements in pedestrian safety. However, in 2018, the city saw a slight uptick in pedestrian deaths indicating that the progress is not linear. While the city still had fewer vehicle-related fatalities overall, the improvements have not been consistent throughout the city and have not been decreasingly consistently based on the type of accidents.
These are many places in New York City that are still considered to have dangerous traffic arrangements and infrastructure that fails to protect cyclists and pedestrians. The city is using data about accidents to determine the highest risk locations and target those places for improvements.
While the work is paying off, the city is a long way off from reaching its goal, which is to eliminate traffic fatalities in New York City completely.
While reduced speed limits, better infrastructure, and more law enforcement are helping, vehicle technology might be the next place to focus on.
Pedestrian identifying technology and crash prevention systems could go a long way towards cutting the city’s traffic-related death toll.