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Governor Cuomo Cracks Down on Texting, Neglects the Bigger Killer on Roads

On May 31, Governor Cuomo issued tougher penalties for those who text while driving and directed police to ramp up enforcement across the state. Meanwhile, the Governor has remained silent on the number one killer on ourroads: speeding drivers. Unfortunately, the solution is stuck in a quagmire of City and State politics, and the Governor’s leadership is needed.

Since 2001, NYC DOT has sought permission from the New York State Legislature to institute a speed camera demonstration program, but year after year, the bill has languished. This year, it came very close to passing in the budget, but ironically, despite the fact that the Police Commissioner, Ray Kelly, endorsed the bill (along with a long list of others), the Police Benevolent Association (PBA) put their thumb on it. You see, the PBA is in a struggle with the Bloomberg administration, which hires the police, and the speed camera bill has become caught in that battle.

Meanwhile, speeders are speeding and police are, for whatever reason, not ticketing them. As a result, people are dying: In 2012, New York City Department of Transportation found that speeding was a contributing factor in 30 percent of the fatalities on the road.

Governor Cuomo has vowed to cut through this type of ‘go nowhere’ politics and this roadblock couldn’t be a better example of a place for him to step in.

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[…] when he directed the state Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) to enact harsher penalties for texting while driving, but as TSTC has pointed out, he has not pushed legislation that would allow New York City to crack […]

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[…] Make streets even safer. Traffic deaths are preventable and are the number one cause of death for NYC children and number two for seniors. The next mayor should lead a public health revolution by recognizing that traffic deaths are a preventable crisis and take a data‐driven approach to ending them. This can be done by building complete streets, reducing speed limits and increasing strategic traffic enforcement, using police officers and automated enforcement measures. […]

Glenn
Glenn
10 years ago

No, texting is a MUCH bigger hazard than speeding. The technology that goes into vehicles make them much more capable to be driven at a higher speed. In fact, most speed limits are antiquated, and should be raised! When is the last time you traveled at 55mph or less in a 55mph zone when there was little traffic? Do you really think you were putting your safety in jeopardy by going over the speed limit? Be honest…

Yes, the result of an accident will be greater at greater speeds, but I’m still going to take my chances with a fully attentive driver at 70mph over a texter at 45mph. Accidents happen when drivers are not paying attention or are intentionally doing something stupid (and YES, excessive speeding of say, 30mph or more over a posted speed limit would count as stupid). But 65 in a posted 55 is not a danger to anyone.

Speed cameras have very little to do with safety. Let’s face it, they really are about revenue generation. Highway design (Complete streets, etc.) would do much more to facilitate safety.

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