The NYPD’s Holiday Gift to Motorists: Central Park

The NYPD’s Holiday Gift to Motorists: Central Park: "

After introducing some yuletide sanity two winters ago, the city is back to sending a schizophrenic message to New Yorkers this holiday season: Please use mass transit, but if you choose to drive, we've made it easier by increasing the hours when cars are permitted on a section of Central Park's loop road. Only this time it's the NYPD, not the Department of Transportation, behind the double message.

These small, flimsy flyers are the only thing tipping off pedestrians and cyclists to the presence of more traffic in Central Park. Photo: Ken Coughlin.

According to a well-placed source with knowledge of the situation, the NYPD issued a directive this year that cars be allowed to use the loop's southeast corner as a cut-through for an additional two hours, until 9 p.m., on weekdays. The expansion runs until "January 2010," according to notices. The NYPD has not returned inquiries about the reason for the change or why it is setting traffic policy.

The road in question is the southeast corner of the Central Park loop, a half-mile stretch that allows drivers to go from Sixth Avenue to the Upper East Side by cutting across a corner of the park. Two years ago Streetsblog reported that the DOT had quietly done away with "holiday hours" on Central Park's loop road, ending the annual suspension of car-free time that had been used to accommodate motorists during the holidays. The change was a huge success in that the only people who seemed to notice were the park's recreational users, who were delighted. Holiday hours didn't resurface last winter, and the annual holiday traffic plan that DOT produced for 2009 contains no mention of the change [PDF]. (The DOT and Parks Department press offices both directed inquiries to the NYPD.)

Park users may have thought holiday traffic hours were gone for good, but they were wrong.

Would you notice this sign if you were passing by? Photo: Ken Coughlin.

Meanwhile, the way the change has been broadcast is revealing. The reduction in car-free hours is being announced to cyclists, runners and other park users by a small, 8½ by 11-inch flyer fastened to a pole a few feet shy of the point where someone on foot or on a bike would merge with car traffic. Identical small signs are secured to poles at six or seven other points along the route. The signs, which look for all the world like the "lost pet" or "affordable housecleaning" flyers taped to light poles all over town, would barely register with a cyclist or runner, much less be readable by them. Nevertheless, the signs warn recreational users to "Proceed With Caution."

"I was riding home through the park at 8:30 p.m. and cars were pouring in from Sixth Avenue," said commuter cyclist Albert Ahronheim, who first alerted Streetsblog to the extra time allotted to park traffic. "I thought someone must have left the gate open by mistake." Ahronheim only discovered the small signs when he returned the next evening to take a closer look.

By contrast, the city has taken great pains to ensure that any driver traveling up Sixth Avenue is aware of the change. Like a bright star in the east guiding the Three Wise Men to Bethlehem, a large mobile electric sign is positioned at Sixth Avenue between 55th and 56th Streets, announcing in foot-high, blinking letters: "PARK OPEN TILL 9 PM N/B [northbound] ACCESS 59TH AND 6TH EAST DRIVE IN CENTRAL PARK UNTIL 9PM." To ensure that no motorist will fail to remark the glad tidings, a duplicate sign flashes between 58th and 59th Streets -- still enough time to change lanes and speed into the world's most famous urban green space.

"

Parking Ticket Grace Period Vetoed by Bloomberg

Parking Ticket Grace Period Vetoed by Bloomberg: "

Last week a Bronx motorist threw a ticket agent's hand-held computer to the ground during an angry dispute over a parking ticket issued minutes after his Muni-Meter expired. 'I get a five-minute grace period. It was in the media, today on the news,' George Collazo reportedly yelled during the altercation. George, if you're reading this, we regret to inform you that your grace is still denied.

Yesterday Mayor Bloomberg made good on his threat to veto a parking grace period bill passed by the City Council last month by a vote of 47-2. The bill would give drivers an extra five minutes past the expired time on Muni-Meters and alternate-side parking (but not coin-operated, single-space meters.) As he proscribed grace, Hizzoner declared, 'While characterized as a 'grace period' to benefit drivers who are rushing to their vehicles, this universal extension of time for drivers would have the practical effect of impeding traffic flow and disrupting street cleaning operations. It would thus have a negative impact on the quality of life for all city residents. Additionally, the bill could generate confusion for drivers and prove difficult to enforce.' (You do hate to see that.)

City Councilman Simcha Felder wasn't happy about the veto, and the City Council may override it: 'People are getting tired of the gotcha. I'm a big supporter of the mayor's, but I respectfully disagree. The [five-minute grace period] was in effect for many years without anyone having any difficulty.' Indeed, there used to be an informal grace period when traffic enforcement was controlled by the DOT. When the NYPD took over, traffic agents were instructed to ticket immediately.

According to an analysis conducted by the Times last year, almost 300,000 alternate side violations were issued within five minutes of the rule taking effect in 2007. Of those, nearly 28,000 tickets were issued exactly on the hour that the rule went into effect.

"

Cops Cracking Down on Kids’ Seat Belts

Cops Cracking Down on Kids’ Seat Belts: "
Strap those babies down!

In the first ten months of this year, NYPD officers wrote 4,160 tickets for car-seat violations in the city. That's fourteen a day, and a 55 percent increase over last year. The tickets are issued for not using car seats, not buckling up, or using them improperly. Children up to age 8 must be in booster seats, and fines start at $50. Hear that, parents? You should buckle your kids up this year because cops are on the lookout. Or, you know, because you want them to not die if you get in a car crash. [NYP]

Read more posts by Chris Rovzar

Filed Under: blobs, babies, cops, nypd

"

Unlicensed Drivers, Coddled By the Law, Kill Three More New Yorkers

Unlicensed Drivers, Coddled By the Law, Kill Three More New Yorkers: "

In handing down a prison term of 20-to-life for Auvryn Scarlett, the garbage hauler who had stopped taking his epilepsy medication before suffering a seizure behind the wheel and killing two pedestrians last year, Justice Richard Carruthers described the convicted as "a time bomb ready to explode at any moment on the streets of New York." The same could be said of the countless number of motorists roaming the city at any given moment though their licenses have been suspended or revoked due to a history of recklessness. Two such drivers killed three people in separate crashes over the Thanksgiving holiday.

Peter and Lillian Sabados. Photo via Daily News

Sheldon Reid had a prior conviction for driving without a license when he struck 40-year-old Sonya Powell, as her fiance watched in horror, on Baychester Avenue in the Wakefield section of the Bronx last Friday. Forty-eight hours earlier, elderly husband and wife Peter and Lillian Sabados were run down by a hit-and-run driver as they walked to Thanksgiving Mass. Their killer, 26-year-old Allmir Lekperic, had a string of at least 29 license suspensions since 2006, according to the Times.

Clearly, Powell and the Sabadoses aren't just victims of individuals, but institutional failure. Even in those relatively rare instances when the system identifies drivers who are a menace, there is no mechanism to stop them from getting right back behind the wheel. Revoking a license is no deterrent. In both cases this weekend, incarceration, or at the very least the impounding of vehicles, could have saved lives.

These crimes also expose a failure of political leadership. Regardless
of the toll recidivist illegal drivers continue to exact in death and
misery, Mayor Bloomberg and NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly have shown no
apparent interest. As for the City Council, a resolution urging state
action was unceremoniously dismissed
just days after nine-year-old Ibrihim Ahmed was killed by an unlicensed driver last January, and has not seen
action since. A cursory Streetsblog archive search revealed three
additional local fatalities at the hands of unlicensed drivers in the
interim eleven months, including pedestrians Dorothea Wallace and 9-year-old Joshua Ganzfried.

We commented last week that, while a positive step, the relatively narrow focus of Leandra's Law leaves New Yorkers, adults and kids alike, unprotected from dangerous drivers whose negligence does not involve alcohol or drugs. As reported by Gotham Gazette, a law prompted by the death of Ibrihim Ahmed would attach stiffer penalties to the prevalent and often deadly crime of driving without a license. The bill, sponsored by Assembly Member Robert Sweeney, would classify vehicular assault and manslaughter as felonies in cases where a driver's license has been suspended or revoked. This would mark a major shift for New York State in that it would apply in instances of crashes where the driver is not under the influence.

When Alexander Aponte was charged only for driving without a license in the killing of Ahmed, we asked Queens DA Richard Brown's office for an explanation. "What we do is charge by the laws on the books," a spokesperson said. "If Albany
changes the law based on a victim's injury or death, we would change
the way we charge." In the absence of guidance from the mayor, police commissioner and City Council members, perhaps future Public Advocate Bill de Blasio or Manhattan DA Cy Vance could fill the void by joining Assembly Member Sweeney and others in a serious campaign to keep unlicensed drivers off our streets by adopting "Ibrihim's Law," before it's too late for someone else's child, fiance, or grandparents.

As for Allmir Lekperic, the Daily News reports that he is free to drive again. For bringing two lives to a brutal premature end, Lekperic was charged with leaving the scene and driving without a license.

"

New York Is Set for Strict Stand on D.W.I. Cases

New York Is Set for Strict Stand on D.W.I. Cases: "An agreement passed by the State Assembly would make driving drunk with a child in the vehicle a felony.




"

Police Car Ahead of Biden Crashes

Police Car Ahead of Biden Crashes: "Four people were injured, none seriously, in the accident that occurred ahead of the motorcade that was headed to a taping of The Daily Show.




"

City Takes Small Step Toward Traffic Justice as Silver Continues to Obstruct

City Takes Small Step Toward Traffic Justice as Silver Continues to Obstruct: "

City district attorneys and NYPD have reached an agreement that could speed the process of collecting blood evidence from drunk driving suspects who refuse to take breath tests.

Leandra Rosado, 11, was killed last month when a car driven by Carmen Huertas crashed on the Henry Hudson Parkway.

The Times reported on Friday that the new procedures, brought about in the wake of recent pedestrian fatalities caused by off-duty NYPD personnel, may reduce the time it takes for officers to obtain a warrant by at least two hours, down from the current average of seven hours. According to the Times, officials are also discussing whether blood might be drawn by doctors or EMTs at locations other than hospitals.

Depending on what course those discussions take, such changes could hinge on approval from Albany. As we reported previously, prosecutors are already pushing legislation that would remove the requirement that a doctor be present to supervise blood withdrawals. Inexplicably, state lawmakers -- and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver in particular -- have a history of coddling drunk drivers, the latest example being the fight over "Leandra's Law," playing out at the capitol as of this writing.

While a truly comprehensive bill would aim to protect people of all ages whether or not they are in a car, one would think a measure to toughen penalties for DWI with children in the vehicle would fly to the governor's desk. Yet Silver has now attempted to water down two such measures. The original Leandra's Law would make it a felony to get behind the wheel with a BAC of .08 if passengers under the age of 16 are present. Assembly Dems want to raise the felony BAC level to .18, more than twice the legal limit for driving. Carmen Huertas, the driver in the October crash that killed Leandra Rosado, had a BAC of .132.

According to Monique Dixon, in 2005 Silver wavered in his support for a bill to make it a felony in New York State to kill someone while driving drunk. Dixon, whose 11-year-old son Vasean Alleyne was killed by a drunk driver who spent 38 days in jail, eventually won passage of a tougher "Vasean's Law" than Silver wanted.

Even the newly agreed upon protocol for collecting blood evidence leaves New York woefully behind. Prosecutors are working on a bill to remove the up-front warrant
requirement in cases of death or serious injury where there is probable
cause for DWI. Such procedure is common in other states, notes defense attorney Howard Weiner in the Times. Local laws, Weiner said, are "much more protective of drivers than those in other parts of the country."

"

The Weekly Carnage

The Weekly Carnage: "

The Weekly Carnage is a Friday round-up of motor vehicle mayhem
across the metro region. For more on the origins and purpose of this
column, please read About the Weekly Carnage.

Photo: Star-Ledger

Fatal Crashes (12 Killed This Week, 255 This Year*, 25 Drivers Charged**)

• Brooklyn: Memorial Set for Eliseo Martinez, Cyclist Killed in September (Ghost Bikes)


• Greenburgh, NY: Cycling Advocate Killed by Bus; Driver Back on the Job (LoHud 1, 2)
  


• Bohemia, LI: Man Thrown From Back Seat in Crash, Body Not Found for Hours (Newsday)


• Truck Driver in Last Week's LIE Collision Dies From Injuries (Newsday)
  


• Newark: Unidentified Pedestrian Hit, Killed (S-L)
  


• Roselle Park, NJ: Pedestrian Dies in Hit-and-Run; Police Looking for Killer (S-L)


• Old Bridge, NJ: 14-Year-Old Cyclist Killed by 17-Year-Old Driver (S-L)


• East Amwell, NJ: Man Killed Walking Home From Work; No Charges Expected (Hunterdon CD)


• Montvale, NJ: Minivan Driver Strikes 75-Year-Old Pedestrian (S-L)
  


• East Orange, NJ: 2 Men Attending to Stalled Vehicle Hit by Passing Driver; 1 Dead (S-L)
  


• North Brunswick, NJ: SUV Driver Dies After Colliding With School Bus (S-L)


• Hamilton, NJ: Speeding Driver Killed in One-Car Crash (S-L)


• Bethel, CT: 85-Year-Old Dies After Rear-Ending Pickup (CT Post)

A collision with a livery cab sent a pickup truck into a Clinton Hill mosque. Photo: Robin Urban Smith

Injuries, Arrests and Property Damage

• Manhattan: Brake Failure Cited as Concrete Truck Hits Cars, Building; 10 Hurt (Streetsblog, Post)


• Manhattan: City Buses Collide in Midtown; 9 Injured (Gothamist)
  


• Brooklyn: Driver Distracted by Cellphone Crashes Into Truck, Injuring 2 (Post)


• Brooklyn: Unidentified Pedestrian Critically Injured in Ditmas Park (Post)


• Staten Island: One-Car Crash Leaves Minivan on Its Roof (Advance)


• White Plains: Pedestrian Paralyzed From Chest Down; No Charges for Driver (LoHud)
  


• Manorville, LI: 81-Year-Old Driver Seriously Hurt in One-Car Crash (Newsday)


• Nassau Co.: Drunk Driver Clocked at 105 MPH on Meadowbrook Pkwy. (Newsday)


• Carle Place, LI: Man Ticketed for Speeding Harasses Trooper's Mom (Newsday)
  


• Newark: Pedestrian Hit by Dump Truck Driver, in Critical Condition (S-L)


• Newark: Van Driver Is Sixth to Hit Same House in Four Years (S-L)


• Milford, CT: Driver Plows Into Nail Salon, Injuring 8 (CT Post)
  


• Kenilworth, NJ: 6-Year-Old Pedestrian Hospitalized After Collision (NJLN)


• Sayreville, NJ: Seton Hall Basketball Player Charged in DWI Crash (S-L)
  

Following Up

• Institutional Dysfunction Linked to Deadly Behavior at MTA and NYPD (Streetsblog) 


• Related: Raging Bus Driver Who Killed Seth Kahn Ticketed for Failure to Yield (News)


• Related: 170 Bus Drivers Caught Texting-While-Driving This Year (News)


• Related: Unions Cites Shift Structure as Cause of Rampant Drunk Driving by NYPD Detectives (News)


• Albany Reluctant to Protect Kids From Drunk Drivers (Observer, Post, News 1, 2)


• Villager: City Needs Safer Bike Lanes; Legislature Should Pass Leandra's Law


• Smithtown, LI: Cops Looking for Driver Who Ran Over Motorcycle Passenger (Newsday)
  


• Taconic Wrong-Way Tragedy Officially Devolves Into Soap Opera Spectacle (Newsday) 


• Suffolk Co.: Kids of Officer Killed by DWI Driver Receive College Grant (Newsday)


• Milford, CT: Cop in Collision That Killed 2 Teens Charged With Manslaughter (CT Post)

Photo: AP

Out of Town

• Rincon, Puerto Rico: Long Islander Charged With DWI in "Car-Surfing" Death (Newsday)


• Ellenville, NY: Medical Examiner Charged With Driving Drunk to Crash Site (AP)


• Oklahoma City: Elephant Escapes Circus, Hit by SUV (AP)


• La Marque, TX: Man Reaching for Phone Drives $1M Bugatti Into Marsh; Blames Pelican (AP)
  


• San Francisco: Trucker Dies in 200-Foot Plummet From Bay Bridge (AP)


• Miami, FL: Lawrence Taylor Arrested After Hit-and-Run Collision (News)
  

Trends and Other News

• Peds Make Up 1 in 3 NYC Traffic Deaths as State Skimps on Safety (Streetsblog, News, Post, NY1)


• NYCDOT Turns Deaf Ear to Pleas for Safety Improvements on Queens Boulevard (News)


• Staten Island DA Joins Call for Quicker DWI Evidence Collection (Post)


• SIers Left Waiting for City to Replace Stolen Stop Sign (Advance)
  


• Jodie Lane Website Maps Con Ed Sidewalk "Stray Voltage" Hot Spots (Villager, Gothamist)
  


• France: New Radar Detector Broadcasts Speed Enforcement Locations (Wheels)


• When Involved in a Traffic Collision, Whatever You Do, Don't Apologize (LoHud)
  


• Where Are the World's Most Dangerous Roads? (How We Drive)

* Since the week of June 8
** Drivers charged for deaths since the week of June 8, based on latest available reports

"

The Weekly Carnage

The Weekly Carnage: "

The Weekly Carnage is a Friday round-up of motor vehicle mayhem
across the metro region. For more on the origins and purpose of this
column, please read About the Weekly Carnage.

Damon Padmore, driving this SUV, hit and killed 38-year-old Dorothea Wallace as she made her way to work in Downtown Brooklyn. Padmore, a corrections officer at Sing Sing, was arrested for driving with a suspended license, but was not charged for killing Wallace. Photo: 1010 WINS

Fatal Crashes (10 Killed This Week, 242 This Year*, 25 Drivers Charged**)

• Bronx: NYPD Detective Hits, Kills 67-Year-Old; Charged With DWI, Homicide (News 1, 2, Post 1, 2)


• Related: Commissioner Kelly Forms Panel to Speed DWI Evidence Collection (Streetsblog)


• Brooklyn: Unlicensed Prison Guard Strikes Woman, Not Charged for Death (News, Post, NY1)


• Manhattan: 22-Year-Old Student Run Over By MTA Bus in Hell's Kitchen; No Charges (Streetsblog)
  


• Bronx: Halloween Vandalism "Prank" Ends With Man Fatally Struck by City Bus (AMNY, News)


• Staten Island: Woman Killed in SIE Crash; Boyfriend Charged With DWI, Homicide (News, Advance)


• Harrison, NY: Livery Driver Killed, Passerby Injured Changing Tire on I-95 (LoHud)
  


• Seaford, LI: Man Killed Crossing Road After Crash (Newsday)


• Nutley, NJ: Driver Speeds Through Popular Trick-or-Treat Zone, Kills Kid; No Charges (S-L 1, 2, 3)


• South Brunswick, NJ: Elderly Florida Couple Killed in Wrong-Way Jersey Tpk. Collision (S-L)
  

No charges were filed against the Parks Dept. employee who seriously injured former Off-Broadway actress Shami Chaikin as she rode her motorized wheelchair in the Eighth Avenue bike lane. Photo: New York Post

Injuries, Arrests and Property Damage

• Gothamist Newsmap: 3 Unidentified Pedestrians Struck Since Saturday (Gothamist 1, 2)
  


• Manhattan: Woman in Wheelchair Hit by Parks Employee in 8th Ave. Bike Lane (Sblog, Post, News)
  


• Manhattan: Cabs Crash Into Scaffolding in East Village; 6 Injured (Gothamist)
  


• Manhattan: Al Sharpton's Daughter, Ex-Wife Charged With Resisting Arrest After Traffic Stop (Post)


• Queens: Driver on PCP Arrested En Route to Pick Up Daughter at School (News)
  


• Post Blotter Notes DWI, Road Rage Crashes on Staten Island


• Staten Island: Suspected Gang Member on PCP Crashes After Police Stop (Advance)
  


• Staten Island: Rider Snaps Photos of Texting Express Bus Driver (Advance)


• Staten Island: SUV Driver Mounts Car in Parking Lot; No Injuries Reported (Advance)
  


• Eastchester, NY: Driving Home From Game 6, Joe Girardi Renders Aid at Crash Site (LoHud)
  


• Smithtown, LI: Motorcyclist Charged With DWI After Passenger Falls Off, Hit by Driver (AP)


• Tractor-Trailer Collides With SUV, Closes LIE for 12 Hours; 1 Injured (Newsday)


• Stamford, CT: 12-Year-Old Struck, Critical; No Charges Expected (CT Post)
  


• Jersey City: 6 Passengers Injured in NJ Transit Bus Crash (Jersey Jrnl)
  


• Jersey City: Man Arrested for DWI After Halloween Crash Into Cemetery (Jersey Jrnl)


• Branchburg, NJ: Woman Hit, Seriously Hurt Trying to Help Injured Deer (Reporter)
  


• Clifton, NJ: Driver Misses Curve, Sails Into House (Record); Witty S-L Reader Commentary Ensues


• Linden, NJ: 69-Year-Old Gas Station Attendant Attacked by Deadbeat Motorist (NJLN)
  


• Edison, NJ: Road Worker's Leg Crushed by Steamroller (S-L)

Following Up

• Brooklyn: Officer Andrew Kelly Pleads Not Guilty for Vionique Valnord Death (News, Post, City Room)


• Queens: Man Gets 34-to-Life for Trying to Run Down Cops With Stolen MTA SUV (Qns Trib, YourNabe)


• Staten Island: Thousands Pay Tribute to 16-Year-Old Killed in One-Car Wreck (Post)


• Nassau Co.: Man Gets 5-10 Years for DWI Crash That Maimed Queens Cop (News)
  


• White Plains: Woman Sentenced to 1-3 Years for Killing Friend in DWI Crash (AP)
  

Photo: Nevada Appeal

Out of Town

• Los Angeles: Road Rage Doc Thompson Convicted for 2008 Assault on 2 Cyclists (Streetsblog)


• Related: Civil Suit Filed by Victim Ron Peterson (AP)
  


• Herkimer, NY: Man Struck, Killed While Trick-or-Treating With 8-Year-Old Son (AP)


• Forestport, NY: Road Worker Holding Stop Sign Killed; No Immediate Charges (AP)
  


• Galen, NY: Man Tries to Torch Car With Wife Inside (AP)


• Carson City, NV: 3-Year-Old in Stroller Hit During Family Halloween Outing (Appeal)
  


• Portland, OR: Man Guilty in Hit-and-Run of Pedicab Driven by Large Orange Rabbit (AP)


• Dickinson, ND: 3 Missing College Softball Players Found in Submerged SUV (AP)
  


• Berlin: Soldier Drives Car Into Fellow Troops, Injuring 13 (AP)


• Sacramento Kings' Andres Nocioni Arrested on Suspicion of DUI (NBA.com)
  


• Tokyo: Brad Pitt Shops for New Motorcycle After LA Crash (AP)
  


• Morgan Freeman Settles Civil Suit Stemming From 2008 Rollover (BBC)
  

Trends and Other News

• Brooklyn: Student Speeders Terrorize Manhattan Beach (Post)


• Staten Island: Following Death, Great Kills Residents Want Relief From Cut-Through Drivers (Advance)
  


• NY State's Watered-Down Texting Ban Now in Effect (NY1)


• Cellphone Maker Garmin Pushes DWD as Product Selling Point (Streetsblog)


• Text-Crash Teen: Every Kid I Know Texts While Driving (News)
  


• Britain Gets Tougher on DWD, But Even Victims Still Sympathize With Killer Drivers (NYT)
  


• Deadly Toyota Acceleration Defect "Goes Beyond Floor Mats" (Consumerist, Wheels)


• Consumer Group Says Power Windows Dangerous to Kids; NHTSA: Meh (Wheels)


• Many Drivers Apparently Don't Expect Pedestrians in Parking Lots, Either (WaPo)
  

* Since the week of June 8
** Drivers charged for deaths since the week of June 8, based on latest available reports

"

Tougher DWI Penalty On Special Session Agenda

Tougher DWI Penalty On Special Session Agenda: "

Governor Paterson will ask legislators to pass 'Leandra's Law,' which would make driving drunk with a passenger under 16 a felony. Last month, 11-year-old Leandra Rosado was killed when her friend's allegedly drunk mother crashed on the West Side Highway. Governor Paterson's spokeswoman said, 'Gov. Paterson is committed to stricter penalties for drunk drivers with children in the car, which is why he introduced a program bill on this issue on Aug. 13.' The Daily News notes, 'Though Paterson announced the bill in August, no one in the Legislature has even introduced it.'

"

After Girardi's Help, Crash Victim Now A Yankees Fan-For-Life

After Girardi's Help, Crash Victim Now A Yankees Fan-For-Life: "

Photograph of Joe Girardi waving his key to the city by Julie Jacobson/AP

Yankees manager Joe Girardi had a particularly busy Wednesday-into-Thursday evening, between winning the World Series and helping out a crash victim. Girardi stopped his car on his was home after the victory, swerving across the road on the Cross County Parkway in Eastchester, in order to help Marie Henry, 27, who had smashed into the guardrail. Girardi stayed with her and kept her calm until the police arrived. And the dazed Henry didn't have a clue who he was!

The Daily News spoke to Henry, an IT firm project manager, who explained, 'He looked skinny, and he wasn't wearing a hat. He did not look big like he does on television' It was only after Girardi left that a Westchester cop tipped her off that it was the Yankee Skipper!

Now, it seems Girardi's good Samaritan gesture has made a true fan out of her: 'It was the middle of the night; my cell phone battery was dying...Most people could have just kept driving. But he stopped. He's got a good heart...I'm a Yankee fan for life.' Girardi was modest, saying on WFAN, 'We can't forget to be human beings where we help others out. I think that's the most important thing we can do in life.'

"

The Weekly Carnage

The Weekly Carnage: "

The Weekly Carnage is a Friday round-up of motor vehicle mayhem
across the metro region. For more on the origins and purpose of this
column, please read About the Weekly Carnage.

Photo: Daily News

Fatal Crashes (5 Killed This Week, 232 This Year*, 23 Drivers Charged**)

• Queens: Crack-Smoking Driver Charged With Manslaughter for Killing 2 Kids (News 1, 2, Post, NY1)


• Staten Island: Unlicensed 16-Year-Old Kills Self, Injures Friend in One-Car Crash (Advance 1, 2, 3)


• Spotswood, NJ: 1 Killed, 2 Hurt in Three-Car Collision (S-L)


• Barnegat, NJ: Collision Between Two SUVs Kills 1, Injures 4 (S-L)
  

Photo: Daily News

Injuries, Arrests and Property Damage

• Gothamist Newsmap: 5 Pedestrians Struck Since Sunday (Gothamist 1, 2, 3, 4, 5)
  


• Brooklyn: Two Fire Trucks Collide, Injuring 12 (NYT, News)
  


• Brooklyn: Major Crash Reported Near Cadman Plaza (Gothamist, Advance)


• Serious Staten Island Collision Injures 2 (Advance)


• Yorktown, NY: 73-Year-Old Charged With DWI, Leaving Scene After Head-On Crash (LoHud)
  


• Southampton, LI: Wrong-Way Driver Rams Three Police Cars, Four Others (Newsday)


• Melville, LI: Ladders Fall Off Truck, Shut LIE for 90 Minutes; 4 Injured; Driver Has No Idea (Newsday)


• Melville, LI: 3 Injured in SUV Collision (Newsday)


• Holbrook, LI: 2 Drivers, 1 Child Injured in Two-Car Crash (Newsday)
  


• Yaphank, LI: School Bus Rear-Ended; No Injuries Reported (Newsday)
  


• Jersey City: Homeless Man Hit, Hospitalized (Jersey Jrnl)


• Secaucus, NJ: DWI Man Arrested When 12-Year-Old Passenger Calls Cops (S-L)
  


• Bayonne, NJ: Man Hits Parked Car, Charged With DWI (Jersey Jrnl)


• Hamilton, NJ: Turnpike Crash Injures 2 (Times)
  


• Mount Olive, NJ: Driver Arrested for DWI After Crashing Truck Into Tree (Warren Rep)


• Danbury, CT: 6 Hurt in Three-Car Wreck (CT Post) 
  


• Bridgeport, CT: Five Cops Under Investigation Following Crash (CT Post)
  

Following Up

• Manhattan: No Charges Filed in Deadly East Village Collision (Post)


• Manhattan: Carmen Huertas Arraigned in Fatal Hudson Parkway Crash (City Room, Post)
  


• Manhattan: Ex-Cop, Reporter Gets Slap on the Wrist for DWI Wreck (Gothamist)


• Manhattan Times Details Last Week's Washington Heights Motorcyclist Fatality
  


• Queens: Cyclist Victim's Mom Continues Quest for Bike Lane on Queens Boulevard (News)


• Staten Island: "Rule of Two" at Play in Arraignment for Fatal Collision (Advance)
  


• Bronx: Bereaved Family Sues Over Hearse Explosion; Post Finds the Funny


• Yorktown: Man Pleads to Menacing in 2008 Fatal Crash (LoHud)
  


• Freeport, LI: Man Gets Up to 15 Years for 2008 Fatal DWI Crash (Newsday)


• Mineola, LI: Repeat DWI Offender Sentenced to 7-21 Years for Killing Student (AP)
  


• Schuler Taconic Crash, Other "DWI Mom" Stories Profiled on "Oprah" (Newsday)


• Orange, CT: Police Audio Released From Cop-Involved Crash That Killed 2 (CT Post)
  

Photo: CNN

Out of Town

• Sparks, NV: Couple Awakes to Find Themselves Pinned Under Car (CNN)


• Martinez, CA: Pedestrian Ripped Apart on Interstate After Hit-and-Run (KPIX)
  


• Boise, ID: Mentally Ill Man Plows Truck Into Motorcycle Cops (AP)


• Hill 'N Dale, FL: Ped Fatally Struck By Three Drivers; One Flees Scene (Times)


• Reed City, MI: 20-Month-Old Run Down, Killed in Driveway (Cadillac News)
  


• Philadelphia: Cab Driver Convicted in Hit-and-Run Killing of 5-Year-Old Pedestrian (Philly Inq)


• Providence, RI: Man Hits 3 Peds, Drives a Mile With One Clinging to Windshield (AP)


• Canterbury, Australia: Ped Bridge Elevator Fails, Elderly Man Killed Trying to Cross (SMH)


• London: Cop Gets 6.5 Years for Killing Woman During 107 MPH "Joyride" (Times)
  


• Dallas, TX: Bus Crash That Killed 17 Called "Perfect Storm of Gross Negligence" (AP)

Photo: NYT

Trends and Other News

• Halloween Especially Scary for Pedestrians (USA Today, Consumer Reps, Times, Missourian, Reuters)
  


• Cy Vance Kicks Off Instructive, Sobering Vehicular Crime Legal Forum (Streetsblog)
  


• Child Deaths Prompt News Call for Tougher Drunk Driving Laws


• NYPD Makes 24-Hour "Extra Effort" to Ticket Cellphone-Using Drivers (City Room)


• Sustained DWI Crackdown in Brooklyn's 84th Precinct Sees Drop in Other Crimes (Post)
  


• Freakonomics: Cab Driver Attrition, Poor Working Conditions Lead to Reckless Driving


• New York Motorists Don't Give a Damn About Your Kid (WTEN)


• Florida Dominates "Worst Places to Walk" List (Orlando Sentinel)
  


• Las Vegas Ped Fatalities Down Amid Crosswalk Stings (KVBC)


• New, Weaker Distracted Driving Bill Surfaces in U.S. Senate (Streetsblog Cap Hill)


• Car-Mounted Cameras Could Help Inattentive Drivers Avoid Hitting People (AP)


• "Crash-Proof" Cars: Good or Bad? (Streetsblog)
  


• Ohio Bike Blogger Kevin Kimmich: When in Doubt, Shout (Monster Pull)


• Children Made to Salute Cars in Huangping, China; Is It All That Different From This? (NYT) 

* Since the week of June 8
** Drivers charged for deaths since the week of June 8, based on latest available reports

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Council Raises Unattended Idling Fines. Will NYPD Enforce?

Council Raises Unattended Idling Fines. Will NYPD Enforce?: "

The City Council on Wednesday approved a bill that could prevent future disasters like last January's Chinatown tragedy, which claimed the lives of preschoolers Hayley Ng and Diego Martinez.

A revised law attaches a stiff fine to the type of carelessness that caused the deaths of two children in Chinatown, but it's up to NYPD to make it stick.

Queens Council Member Elizabeth Crowley's Intro 947 raises the fine for leaving an idling, unattended vehicle to $250, up from $5. Crowley introduced the bill in response to the deaths of Martinez and Ng, as well as Robert Ogle and Alex Paul, who were run down by a driver who had stolen an unattended car in Middle Village. Having cleared the council's transportation committee with widespread support early this month, the measure also eliminates a three-minute idling "grace period."

The obvious question: What good is it to jack up idling fines, even by a factor of 50, when police can't be counted on to ticket for traffic fatalities? That's where Council Member Dan Garodnick comes in. Last year he introduced legislation that would allow Traffic Enforcement Agents to issue idling tickets using their hand-held computers. The bill stalled some time ago, but a Garodnick spokesperson says it hasn't been forgotten. Since learning that such a change can be handled administratively, Garodnick's office has been waiting for NYPD to carry it out.

Streetsblog has word that the department has completed programming and testing the hand-held units, and now plans to begin training agents, though no timetable was available.

"Obviously it's still something we'd like to see done," Garodnick's spokesperson said, adding that unattended vehicles should be covered under the new protocol. At $250 a pop, it probably wouldn't take many tickets before companies start telling drivers to take two seconds to shut down their trucks.

"

Broken Streets Theory: How to Alter the Psychology of Reckless Driving

Broken Streets Theory: How to Alter the Psychology of Reckless Driving: "

Jessie Singer has a great feature in the latest issue of TA's Reclaim magazine (now available online), examining the NYPD's failure to curb dangerous driving. After pushing down violent crime rates so effectively based on data-driven analysis, she asks, why don't police use the same techniques to tame the life-threatening hazards of New York City traffic?

Much of the answer, says Peter Moskos, a professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice and a former Baltimore cop, boils down to the way police perceive their work:

Photo: Wiley Norvell.

The NYPD fails to enforce traffic crime in part because the NYPD
does not track traffic crime. And part of the reason the NYPD doesn't
track traffic crime is because deterring it doesn't bring the same
clear rewards as more traditional law enforcement.

"It doesn't draw on the skills police see themselves as having. It is
annoying and time-consuming for officers to do traffic stops," Moskos
says. "Partly because the people you are helping aren't there to
appreciate
how you are helping them. There is not much gratification for traffic
work on a personal or professional level, because the people you are
helping are not there to thank you."

To make the benefits of law-abiding behavior behind the wheel more apparent, perhaps a good first step would be to strengthen the NYPD's working relationships with advocates for street safety. (Case in point: San Francisco's new police chief, George Gascon, said he would consider creating a liaison to cyclists in an interview with Streetsblog San Francisco last month.)

Drawing on the "broken windows" school of policing that NYPD has famously employed for two decades as a core strategy to deter crime, Singer notes that New York's streets will remain hazardous as long as motorists perceive the consequences of reckless driving to be arbitrary and rare:

Applying the rigor of the Broken Windows Theory to traffic enforcement
would change the way the NYPD measures and deters traffic crime. The
new regime would end the practice of consistently ignoring
moving violations spotted through the patrol car window. But more
importantly, as the application of Broken Windows did with street
crime, it would indicate to drivers that they cannot get away with it,
that the lawlessness police ignored in the past will no longer be
tolerated in the present.

"There is no question about it, you would have to do this on a regular
basis, almost consistent basis, to be effective," says Lou Riccio,
Commissioner at the NYC Department of Transportation during the Dinkins
administration. Riccio was one of several traffic experts interviewed
for the "Executive Order" report. "That's the problem with enforcement,
it is random. [Behavioral psychologist B.F.] Skinner
said [you need] random rewards and certain punishments. What we do is
no rewards and random punishments, and they may actually exacerbate the
problem. If [drivers] get caught, they think it's just the bad luck of
the draw. And therefore they don't change their behavior."

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The Weekly Carnage

The Weekly Carnage: "

The Weekly Carnage is a Friday round-up of motor vehicle mayhem
across the metro region. For more on the origins and purpose of this
column, please read About the Weekly Carnage.

Photo: Newsday

Fatal Crashes (17 Killed This Week, 227 This Year*, 22 Drivers Charged**)

• Staten Island: Man Crushed to Death By His Own SUV (News, Advance)


• Manhattan: LES Collision Leaves One Dead (Streetsblog)


• Manhattan, Queens: 3 Motorcyclists Dead in Separate Crashes (AP) 


• Queens: Unidentified Pedestrian Killed in Corona (Gothamist)
  


• Shirley, LI: Drunk Hit-and-Run Driver Kills Pedestrian; Not Charged for Death (Newsday 1, 2)


• Yaphank, LI: Hit-and-Run Driver Kills Ped; Tells Cops He Thought Man Was a Deer (Newsday)
  


• Yaphank, LI: 1 Killed in Collision Involving Family of 911 Dispatcher (Newsday 1, 2)


• Deer Park, LI: Elderly Man Dies After Crash Possibly Precipitated by Health Emergency (Newsday)


• Ronkokoma, LI: Man Dies in Collision With Tractor-Trailer (Newsday)


• Danbury, CT: Teen Killed, 3 Injured in One-Vehicle Crash (CT Post)


• Bethany, CT: 3 Killed When Car Hits Tree (CT Post)
  


• New Brunswick, NJ: 15-Year-Old Pedestrian Struck; No Charges (S-L)
  


• Millburn, NJ: 19-Year-Old Dead in Single-Car Crash (S-L, The Local 1, 2)
  


• Branchburg, NJ: Man Slits Own Throat, Flips Car After Police Stop (Somerset Rep)***

Photo: The Uptowner

Injuries, Arrests and Property Damage

• Manhattan: NYPD Van Strikes Pedestrian; Post Blames Anarchic "Pedestrian Culture"


• Manhattan: TEA Altercation Ends in Driver Arrest, Accusation of Agent Assault (Gothamist)
  


• Manhattan: Dirt Bike Riders Tear Through Harlem; Cops at a Loss (Uptowner)


• Bronx: NYPD Officer Accused of Hitting Pregnant Woman's Car, Leaving Scene (Gothamist)
  


• Staten Island: Officer Injured When Hit-and-Run Driver Strikes NYPD Cruiser (Advance)


• Eastchester: Woman Hits 15-Year-Old Girl, Leaves Her in Street (LoHud)
  


• Southhold, NY: Man Picking Up His DWI Girlfriend at Police Station Arrested for DWI (LoHud)


• Southampton, LI: Passenger Arrested for Traffic Stop Tirade (Newsday)


• Melville, LI: Multiple-Car Crash Paralyzes LIE (Newsday)


• Greenwich, CT: Man Hits Pedestrian, Charged With DWI (CT Post)
  


• Rahway, NJ: Child Hit, Hospitalized With Head Injuries (NJLN)
  


• Cranford, NJ: Unlicensed Driver Nailed for Warrants During Crosswalk Sting (Chron)
  


• Paterson, NJ: Fire Truck, Car Collision Injures 2 (S-L)
  

Following Up

• Manhattan: NYPD Sgt. Indicted for Critically Injuring UES Pedestrian in June (NYT, Post)


• Manhattan: Accused DWI Mom Carmen Huertas Indicted for Fatal Crash (AP, Post)


• Brooklyn: Al Sharpton Keeping an Eye on Andrew Kelly Case (Gothamist)
  


• Staten Island: Driver Killed in Backhoe Collision Identified (Advance)
  


• Daily News: People Who Block Parking Spots Deserve to Die (Streetsblog) 


• Hiram Monserrate: I'm No Worse Than John Sabini (News)
  


• "Law & Order" to Dramatize Taconic Wrong-Way Crash; Families Object (Post, Post)


• Nassau Co.: Guardrail Will Be Installed After Fatal Wantagh Bike Path Crash (Newsday)
  


• Bayonne, NJ: School Bus Driver Ticketed for Critically Injuring Pedestrian (Jersey Jrnl)


• Summit, NJ: Driver Found at Fault for Ped Death; No Criminal Charges (Indy Press)
  


• Elizabeth, NJ: Man Pleads Guilty in Crash That Injured Officer; Could Get 30 Years (S-L)

Photo: Jalopnik

Out of Town

• Milo, NY: Worker Killed When Truck Driver Crashes Into Boathouse (AP)
  


• Flagstaff, AZ: Hit-and-Run Road Rager Intentionally Runs Down Pedestrian (Daily Sun)


• Skippack, PA: Pedestrian Hit, Hospitalized, Ticketed for Jaywalking (Reporter)


• Baltimore, MD: Man Hit and Killed; Police Cite "Pedestrian Error" (Sun)


• Portland, OR: Driver Said to Be Chasing Skater Flips SUV in Park (Jalopnik)


• Caldwell, ID: Woman Crushed to Death By Garage Door at Paramedics Station (AP)
  


• Santa Ana, CA: 75-Year-Old Gets 9 Months for Killing 89-Year-Old Ped in Grisly Parking Lot Crash (AP)


• Los Angeles: Trial of "Dr. Road Rage" Underway (Streetsblog LA)
  


• Los Angeles: "Sarah Connor Chronicles" Actor Thomas Dekker Hits Cyclist, Charged With DUI (S-L)


• Cleveland: Browns CB Eric Wright Uninjured After Flipping Car (AP)
  

Trends and Other News

• TA, TSTC to Host Vehicular Homicide Symposium, Featuring Cy Vance (Streetsblog 1, 2)
  


• Daily News: Distracted Cab Drivers Are Only a Problem for Their Passengers (Streetsblog)


• Brooklyn CB 10 Wants DOT Study of Crash-Plagued Bay Ridge Intersection (Post)


• Will No-Nonsense Nassau DA Kathleen Rice Run for Attorney General? (Daily Politics)


• Jon Stewart Rips CNN for Driver-Distracting Cellphone App (Zimbio)
  


• Cellphone Users Too Dazed to Notice Clown Riding Unicycle (Well)
  


• Hummer Drivers Get Five Times as Many Tickets as Nat'l Average (Consumer Reports)


• Ford Recalls 4.5M Vehicles Due to Fire Risk; Crown Vics Not on the List (Consumerist)


• Westfield, NJ, Mayoral Candidates Campaign on Safer Streets (S-L)


• Boston Globe Continues Anti-"Jaywalking" Media Blitz 
  


• San Francisco Embarks on New Ped Safety Initiative (Streetsblog SF)
  


• Deaf and Blind Pedestrians Get Attention From Minnesota Transpo Officials (Star Trib)


• In Columbia, MO, It Will Soon Be Illegal to Throw Things at People in Wheelchairs (KBIA)
  


• Instead of Criminalizing Walking, Cities Should Make It Safer (Car-Free in Big D)
  

* Since the week of June 8
** Drivers charged for deaths since the week of June 8, based on latest available reports
*** This incident is not reflected in the "Fatal Crashes" tally

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