Men driving trucks and SUVs are the most dangerous drivers in NYC

Last year 28 cyclists died in traffic accidents in New York City and more than half of them were killed by trucks  and SUVs. Most of the time the driver was a man.

Last Friday, the DOT announced that it invested 4 million in a new campaign targeting men driving trucks and SUVs. The “Was it Worth it?” campaign depicts images of pedestrian and bicycle accidents with a male driver in shock and the message “Was it worth it?” in various languages. Additional audio campaigns will also be run in English, Spanish, and Haitian Creole on several local radio stations during commuting time.

Since Mayor de Blasio launched Vision Zero in 2014, traffic fatalities decreased over the years except for last year. 203 people died in car accidents in 2019. More than half of them were pedestrians. On average over the last few years, men were found to be responsible for 75% of the fatalities with 41% of them driving a truck or a SUV.

NYPD ticketed more cyclists than truck drivers in 2019

While Vision Zero unveiled its new media campaign focusing on truck drivers on Friday, the NYPD  announced on Wednesday that it ticketed more cyclists than truck drivers in 2019. The announcement was made during a City Council’s hearing on street and vehicle safety.

NYPD’ new Transportation Chief, William Morris, divulged that the NYPD ticketed 34,593 truck drivers and more than 35,000 bike riders. Concerned New Yorkers and Street Safety Advocates present at the hearing were outraged by the revelations.

Council members visibly not interested by street safety

The number of activists present at the hearing clearly surpassed the number of elected officials. The hearing was attended by only two council members: Ydanis Rodriguez, the chair of the Transportation Committee and Bronx rep, Ruben Diaz, were the only present members of the 51 members of the council’s body. Both believed the actual situation should be treated as an emergency by the city.

Read more in the Gothamist