With More New York Children Killed as Vision Zero Street Safety Initiative Remains Stagnant, City Could Be Held Responsible

January 26, 2023 |

Car Accidents

Vision Zero was created by the City of New York with the intention of protecting families with safer streets. The leading cause of death for NYC children under 14 is being struck by a vehicle, and the Vision Zero concept heralds that this statistic should be unacceptable.

Since the implementation of Vision Zero in 2014, New York City has used multiple tools to improve the safety of streets in each borough. They implemented new street designs, increased penalties for dangerous drivers, and expanded speed limits, hoping that the combination would help prevent crashes.

However, a new study has shown that more NYC kids were killed in 2022 by drivers, than in any other year since Vision Zero began. The Transporation Alternatives Organization found that 15 children under 18 years of age were killed by drivers in 2022. This number has doubled in comparison to both 2018 and 2020.

New York City claims that traffic deaths are on the decline, but when you look at the numbers year after year, that is not the case. The lowest number of deaths per year since the Vision Zero launch was in 2018 when 202 people were killed by collisions. In 2022, 255 fatalities occurred, which is a 24% increase in death rate in comparison to 2018.

The 10-year mark of Vision Zero is approaching, and with this new analysis, it remains clear that the city is not seeing the results it had originally hoped. The City Council has stated that it will hold a hearing on Vision Zero in February, which is hopefully the beginning of Vision Zero improvements.

When you or a loved one are injured as a pedestrian by a motor vehicle, there can multiple parties upon which to assign blame. Victims can pursue compensation from the driver that hit them; the company that operates a taxi, bus, or scooter; or even the manufacturer of a faulty part that may have caused the accident. But what many people don’t realize is that negligence can also be assigned to the City for failure to ensure safety.

With the statistics telling such a grim story in the face of continued failed efforts to curb the danger, municipalities are more often being held responsible. If there’s been an accident or injury, you can reach out to Belluck & Fox today for a free consultation to learn about the next steps and possible paths toward the compensation you deserve.