November 4, 2021
Multi-agency efforts mix schooling and consciousness with heightened NYPD night and in a single day enforcement
Officers name for state laws to permit automated pace cameras to function 24/7
NEW YORK—Mayor Invoice de Blasio at present introduced the return of the Metropolis’s annual fall Nightfall and Darkness marketing campaign to maintain pedestrians and cyclists secure throughout fall and winter evenings, particularly after clocks “fall again” for the top of Daylight Saving Time this Sunday morning.
Division of Transportation Commissioner Hank Gutman, NYPD Chief of Transportation Kim Royster and TLC Commissioner and Chair Aloysee Heredia Jarmoszuk spoke at One Police Plaza to announce main schooling and enforcement efforts aimed to shift driver habits. Company officers cited current will increase in reckless driving in in a single day hours throughout the pandemic – and renewed the decision for state laws to permit New York Metropolis’s automated pace cameras to function 24/7.
“As we transfer into daylight saving time this weekend, motorists ought to stay alert whereas driving on our native streets and highways,” mentioned Chief Kim Y. Royster, NYPD Chief of Transportation. “Traditionally, that is probably the most harmful time of the yr for pedestrians and cyclists. Our Nightfall and Darkness marketing campaign is a visitors initiative that promotes street security in New York Metropolis. The NYPD might be conducting outreach to all street customers. Stepped-up enforcement will happen the place pedestrians and cyclists are more than likely to be injured. It’s actually drivers which have the ability to avoid wasting lives and with the help of our Imaginative and prescient Zero companions, the NYPD will proceed to maintain our streets secure through the fall and winter months. Site visitors security is public security.”
“Nightfall and Darkness has illustrated the perfect of what New York Metropolis has performed round Imaginative and prescient Zero, because it has essentially modified the way in which we strategy schooling and robust enforcement throughout a season that’s historically probably the most harmful on our streets for pedestrians,” mentioned DOT Commissioner Gutman. “As we speak, we’re not solely getting out the phrase to drivers in regards to the risks of earlier sunsets, and we’re becoming a member of our company companions at NYPD and TLC to remind motorists that with darkness coming a lot earlier now, they should pay shut consideration. And because the epidemic of perilous in a single day rushing has grown over the course of the pandemic, we’re as soon as once more calling on Albany to move laws to permit our pace cameras to function 24/7.”
“Shorter days make it tougher to see at nightfall throughout rush-hour. As at all times, TLC urges all TLC-Licensed Drivers and motorists on the street to by no means pace, at all times yield to pedestrians, flip slowly, cease totally at pink lights, and keep alert for cyclists,” mentioned TLC Commissioner and Chair Aloysee Heredia Jarmoszuk. “We tremendously thank TLC-Licensed Drivers for their further warning and diligence as Daylight Saving Time ends and we strategy the darker winter months.”
DOT information from 2010-2014, earlier than the launch of the Nightfall and Darkness marketing campaign, confirmed severe collisions involving pedestrians improve by roughly 40 p.c in darker early evenings in late fall and winter. Moreover, decrease visibility throughout the darkish hours of the colder months results in twice as many crashes involving turns.
The marketing campaign, now in its sixth yr, has been correlated to improved security on Metropolis streets: evaluating night and in a single day fatalities of the 5 years of the Nightfall and Darkness marketing campaign (November – March, 2016-2021) to the prior 5 years pre-campaign, the common annual variety of fatalities has declined by 18%.
The Nightfall and Darkness marketing campaign is additionally designed to guard the rising variety of cyclists on New York Metropolis’s streets. In keeping with recent DOT reports, biking has tripled within the final 15 years.
“Nightfall and Darkness” additionally contains:
- Day of Consciousness: DOT and NYPD Road Groups unfold out at high-visibility areas throughout all 5 boroughs this morning to remind commuters of the elevated risks of visitors crashes through the fall night and in a single day hours. These groups may also be seen this night.
- Elevated Night/Nighttime Enforcement: NYPD will focus enforcement sources on rushing and failure to yield. Precincts will improve their on-street presence round sundown hours on high-crash corridors for each cyclists and pedestrians.
- Daylight Saving Consciousness: Daylight saving time will finish at 2 a.m. on Sunday. As with earlier years, Imaginative and prescient Zero Process Power companies and companions will use social media channels to alert drivers to the risks of decrease visibility, whereas encouraging them to observe the 25 MPH citywide pace restrict, and yield to pedestrians and cyclists. DOT will characteristic the driver-targeted Imaginative and prescient Zero “Indicators” consciousness campaigns on bus shelters, LinkNYC kiosks, and print promoting.
Laws sponsored by Senator Andrew Gounardes and Meeting Member Deborah Glick (S5602/A6681) would permit pace digicam operation 24 hours, 7 day every week. The laws additionally permits for escalating fines with subsequent notices of legal responsibility for drivers who’re repeat violators. Final month, DOT launched its annual Automated Speed Enforcement Program report, which highlighted the success of greater than 1,600 cameras citywide at curbing rushing – by over 70%. Nevertheless, evaluation of 2020 fatalities confirmed that almost 30% of all fatalities happen in pace digicam zones throughout in a single day and on weekends after they are not allowed to function.
“With fewer hours of daylight and decrease visibility, driving safely is particularly essential at the moment of yr,” mentioned Well being Commissioner Dave A. Chokshi. “Drivers, please gradual down and look out for pedestrians, bicyclists, and all street customers. Everybody has a job to play in making New York Metropolis’s streets safer.”
“It’s simply commonsense. Driving at night time is tougher and extra harmful,” mentioned Keith Kerman, Deputy Commissioner for Fleet Administration on the NYC Division of Citywide Administrative Companies. “For the Metropolis’s fleet, we’re working to make night time driving safer by investing in adaptive headlights, heated mirrors, and security lights for work vans. That mentioned, an important recommendation is to keep away from driving at night time for those who can, and to drive slowly and cautiously always for those who can’t. Lives depend upon it.”
“The epidemic of rushing all through our metropolis has led to severe crashes and fatalities, that are solely preventable with the right enforcement measures in place,” mentioned Senator Andrew Gounardes. “That’s why I launched S5602, which might develop our pace violation monitoring programs to nights and weekends with a view to permit cameras to function 24/7 so we are able to preserve our streets secure. Whereas schooling and consciousness is an efficient first step, we have to again it up with concrete insurance policies in order for us to achieve Imaginative and prescient Zero, defend residents by means of these coming months of low visibility, and keep away from the tragedies that reckless driving causes.”
“As we transfer by means of autumn into winter and the times turn out to be shorter, all of us should do our half to maintain New York Metropolis roads secure for pedestrians, cyclists, and motorists. Faculty zone pace cameras are probably the greatest goal instruments we now have to maintain our streets secure with out counting on particular person police judgment, but they’re at present deactivated throughout nights and weekends. I look ahead to making our streets safer by passing my laws to permit college zone pace cameras to maintain a watchful eye round our colleges, it doesn’t matter what day of the week it’s,” mentioned Meeting Member Deborah J. Glick.
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