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

"

New York Now Has Toughest Drunk Driving Law

New York Now Has Toughest Drunk Driving Law: "

NY1

Something crazy happened in Albany this week: The Assembly passed a bill, then the Senate passed their version of the bill, and then Governor David Paterson signed it into law—all in two days! Yesterday New York instituted the nation's toughest drunk driving law, making it a felony to drive intoxicated with a passenger 15 years old or under. The bill, "Leandra's Law,' was named for the 11-year-old New York girl killed in a DWI crash on the West Side Highway last month. At the signing yesterday, Leandra's father Lenny Rosado vowed to take his crusade to Washington and pass the law on the federal level:

From here on, those that think it’s OK to drink and drive - with children in the car or not - will pay the price...This is not going to be where I stop. I'm going to go out there to as many people as I can and educate them about this terrible disease we have out there...and hopefully we can take it all the way up straight to the White House.

Senate President Malcolm Smith told Rosado, "I don’t know how you stand it. I’m not sure, as a father of a 16-year-old, that I could be standing here if I had befallen the challenge that you have… We stand behind you. If you move this to be a national crusade, know that under leader Sampson and myself we stand to move with you.' Leandra died October 11th when an allegedly drunk adult crashed a van full of children, killing her and injuring her six friends. City Council Speaker Christine Quinn told reporters, 'It is tragic that it had to take the loss of Leandra Rosado's life in order for this to come to our attention and for action to be taken.'

Both houses also passed the Authorities Reform Bill Wednesday, which is meant to bring increased transparency to the state's authorities, NY1 reports. But there is still no deal to close the state's $3.2 billion budget deficit. A frustrated Paterson said yesterday, 'I don't know how people are walking around here saying we are close to a deal. I don't know people think they are leaving here and I don't know why it is so difficult to understand we have a fiduciary responsibility to the state of New York... and the only way to reduce this deficit are real, recurring cuts.'

"

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

"

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."

"

AccidentSketch Helps You Create Detailed Accident Reports [Driving]

AccidentSketch Helps You Create Detailed Accident Reports [Driving]: "

Accidents happen to even the most cautious drivers. If you find yourself in one, AccidentSketch is a simple web-based tool that can help you draw up a picture and generate a report to give to your insurance company.

AccidentSketch uses a simple template system. Cars, road segments, signs, pedestrians, and more all snap to the grid and in the case of small objects like signs can be moved from there. You can change the colors of things, zoom in and out to get as close or wide as you need, and even assign information to parties involved like the license plate numbers of the cars in the accident.

Once you create a diagram you can also generate a text-based report to fill in details that can't be easily conveyed by the picture. When you're done you've got a tidy accident sketch and report to submit to the interested parties. The service is free and requires no registration.

Have a handy tool and tidbit for dealing with insurance companies and life after a fender-bender? Let's hear about it in the comments.

AccidentSketch [via MakeUseOf]

"

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

"

MTA Chief Means Business on Getting Cars Out of Bus Lanes

MTA Chief Means Business on Getting Cars Out of Bus Lanes: "

Not in service, but still smiling! NYC Transit's hybrid ECO Saver IV. (Michael Coughlan/NYC Transit)

New Yorkers fed up with the city's overcrowded, snail's-pace buses can perhaps indulge in some guarded optimism now that new MTA 'czar' Jay Walder is promising to improve the system. Walder was formerly the transit guru in London, where, he says, 'You carry nearly twice as many people in the bus system as you do on the Underground.' In New York, the opposite is true, and Walder wants to change that while simultaneously reducing bus overcrowding. Is this guy crazy?

The Times recently rode the bus with Walder in Brooklyn, and, as a car parked in the bus-only lane forced the bus to merge into traffic, he explained his radical bus philosophy:

What I’d like you to think about is a train system with rubber-tire vehicles. We’re on a bus right now where every seat is full. How many people are on this bus? Seventy-five? But we haven’t prioritized this bus any differently than a car which has one person in it... If I put train tracks down the street, you wouldn’t park your car on them. If I said this is a bus lane, somehow it becomes fair game. One person’s use of a road impacts upon another person’s use of the road. My point is, if we have to make a choice, make the choice for the bus, not for the car.

Suck on that motorists! But how will Walder turn the beat around? As previously mentioned, he wants the city to impose stricter fines on bus-lane blockers, install cameras on buses to take photos of violators, and finance a public advertising campaign to educate the public about bus lanes. And in a pilot program on Fordham Road in the Bronx, buses can send signals to traffic lights to delay red signals, allowing a bus to make it through the intersection! Next up: tractor beams to toss cars out of the bus lanes.

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