3 Bills Aim to Increase Pedestrian Safety After Deadly Week in New York City
A New York lawmaker is proposing a new package of bills designed to make New York City streets safer, after yet another tragic week for pedestrians and following a deadly year in 2019.
Following the deaths of six pedestrians in five days, including two schoolchildren in Brooklyn, state Senator Andrew Gounardes introduced the following three bills:
The Dangerous Driver Act to clarify vehicle and traffic law to make it easier for dangerous drivers to be charged by district attorneys.
S7875, to expand pedestrian rights by deeming every intersection, marked or unmarked, to be a crosswalk.
S7876, to create a pedestrian safety rating of all vehicles based on how likely these vehicles are to cause injury or death to others on the road.
Gounardes also urged the passage of previously introduced bills:
S3470, to prevent drugged driving
S5226A, to require a written exam upon license renewal
S5228A, to include understanding of pedestrian and cyclist safety as part of the pre-licensing course for drivers
"In 2019, New Yorkers of every age and from every walk of life were devastated by traffic violence in 2019," he said. "Their families were forever torn apart because of our city's inability to keep its people safe in our streets."
Traffic deaths rose to 219 in New York City in 2019, the first rise in years.
-Courtesy of WABC TV