The new Mayor of New York City has many battles to fight, but one battle that is building momentum involves traffic fatalities in NYC. Every 33 hours a New Yorker gets killed in a crash, more people were killed in NYC by a car accident than a gun from 2001 to 2012. In 2012, 274 died from a car accident in NYC and 234 died from a gun. Transportation Alternatives has completed a report called “How the NYPD Ignores What’s Killing New Yorkers.” The report details how few speeding tickets are issued in Manhattan  and that, if the law were enforced, fatalities would drop, the goal being Zero.

Visit this site for more information on Bill de Blasios initiative;

http://transalt.org/news/magazine/2013/Fall/12

To make this vision a reality, Transportation Alternatives is taking a page from a Swedish Rule making, that includes the use of cameras to capture moving traffic violators. If the City really is serious about making meaningful progress, and given the limited amount of resources in the NYC Police Department, using cameras to capture violators and fine them could be a big part of the answer. Traffic cameras is not a new idea, actually, its been around for quite some time, so privacy advocates have a weak argument. The goal is to improve safety, if technology can help reduce even one fatality, isn’t it worth it?

Visit this site for a brief video and more information on Vision Zero;

http://www.visionzeroinitiative.com