Mayor Bloomberg and DOT Commissioner Sadik-Khan Announce 2009
Sets an All-Time Record for Traffic Safety
Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and Department of Transportation Commissioner
Janette Sadik-Khan announced in January that New York City traffic fatalities
fell to an all-time record low in 2009. Last year, there were 256 traffic
fatalities in New York City, 12 percent fewer than in 2008, and a 35 percent
reduction compared to 2001. The previous record low was in 2007, with 274
fatalities. Traffic safety records have been kept in New York City since 1910.
Since 2001, safety gains have been made across all categories: vehicle drivers
and passengers, pedestrians, bicyclists and seniors, the population most
vulnerable to traffic fatalities. The reductions in fatalities come as the City
has instituted unprecedented safety improvements in street engineering and
expanded NYPD enforcement of traffic laws across the five boroughs.
Read the press
release for more details on the 2009 safety numbers
The Department of Transportation’s strategic plan set a goal to cut all
traffic fatalities 50 percent by 2030, compared to 2007 figures. This year, the
department will launch and expand more aggressive safety initiatives, tripling
the number of reduced-speed zones around schools, launching new
anti-drunk-driving and anti-speeding advertising campaigns and will continue to
work to engineer safer streets for children, seniors and everyone who uses the
City’s streets.
The Department of Transportation has taken unprecedented steps to expand
street safety engineering in all five boroughs. Including through:
DOT's Office of School Safety Engineering improves street
safety to create Safe Routes to Schools. This office also oversees DOT's
Priority Schools initiative.
As part of PlaNYC the DOT is working to improve pedestrian
and motor vehicle movement around subway entrances and bus stops to make
accessing mass transit easier and more convenient.
A major new pedestrian safety initiative for older New Yorkers,
DOT engineers will evaluate pedestrian conditions in targeted neighborhoods
citywide from a senior's perspective and make safety improvements.
