Traffic Violence

[TabascoDiva]

As a survivor of traffic violence I am inviting forum members to join us on a Day Of Remembrance on November 15, 2015.
In New York State, the odds of getting killed or hurt by a motorist are higher than winning the New York State Lottery.NY State has laws to prevent this type of death or injuries but they are not enforced. Getting hit/ run over by a car , bus, truck is not an "unfortunate accident" as the news, authorities or the culprit call it. Its a crash that can be prevented and if not then, it must be prosecuted, not just given a slap on the wrist with a $50 Dollar fine. Accident means an event that can not be controlled . Driving a motor vehicle whoever sits behind the steering wheel has control of that vehicle and their actions.

Please join me in a walk to remember our loved ones and the thousands who had died or have survived like myself but our lives have been forever altered because of traffic violence. I will be joining with my campaign " Please Give Me The Right Of Way " , "Family For Safe streets" on a walk starting at City Hall to end at the United Nations .

For more Information

Worldwide, traffic deaths are an epidemic, killing more than 1.24 million people a year. For the poorest Americans, the likelihood of being killed in a traffic crash is actually increasing.*

These statistics are not accidents, but the result of fixable problems. On November 15th, with people from around the world, we will walk to remember the victims of traffic violence — and agree to eliminate the word “accident” from our vocabularies.

WHAT: World Day of Remembrance for the Victims of Traffic Violence
WHEN: Sunday, November 15, 2015 at 12 pm
WHERE: City Hall Park Fountain
Manhattan
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As a group, we will walk from City Hall to the United Nations. We will wear yellow to show our hope for Vision Zero. Please say you’ll be there.

When we demand safe streets and refuse to excuse traffic crashes as “accidents,” we are part of a global movement for Vision Zero. On November 15, that global movement unites in protest and memory. I hope you’ll join us.

Paul Steely White
Executive Director

*Research recently published in the American Journal of Epidemiology found that for people 25 and older with less than a high school diploma, fatality rates are significantly higher than more educated Americans, and these rates have been on the rise since 1990. Researchers note that pedestrian fatality rates are more than double in low-income communities.

Image courtesy of Andrew Hinderaker.

 

[northernburbs]

I got hit by a car when I was 14. Pretty sure it was an accident or mistake and not traffic violence.

 

[kylelovescrayons]

Pretty sure it was an accident or mistake and not traffic violence

I understand what you are saying and I think there are certainly cases of this. I was hit by a motorist who pulled out into oncoming traffic and clipped my bike. I was in clear sight of him, unless he wasn't looking through his front windshield, was riding with traffic in the designated space for a bike and flew over his windshield. I broke one arm in three places, dislocated my other shoulder and shattered a helmet (that's what they are designed to do but still could have been worse without one) and then the driver drove off.

Now I'm sure he didn't actively set out that day to hit me, or anyone else, but the way we use "accident" removes responsibility. He was responsible for looking where he is going and making sure he isn't going to hit anyone (if he didn't first hit me and stop he would have hit a car in the car lane.) Not sure what term would meet in the middle but some things aren't accidents, they are mistakes sure, but they are mistakes with big ass consequences.
Not sure what I'm getting at just my .02.

 

[northernburbs]

I am sure that in NYC some camera got the driver that hit you. No one got his plate? no one chased him down?

 

[TabascoDiva]

I am sure that in NYC some camera got the driver that hit you. No one got his plate? no one chased him down?

Thanks for taking an interest in my story. This was 13 year ago.The yellow cabdriver was caught, because he crashed against a building trying to get away after he ran me over. After a week, I awaken from a coma with acquired traumatic brain injury to spend the rest of my life in a wheelchair with other health issues. We went to court and all he was found guilty of failing to Give me the Right of Way and a fifty dollar fine. The cab driver and Medallion owner today are still owning the medallion and getting rich. Laws in NYC and state are weak on top of that there is no enforcement. The law only requires minimum insurance which at that time was one hundred thousand. Today it has been increased to 2oo,000.00. This is not even enough to cover medical cost. City /state /federal agencies don't want you to know because all these rotten politicians and judges are beholden to special interest to get elected. , Taxi and Limousine Commission operates like a state sponsored mafia,its not a city agency nor its a private business, and notice how they operate? No court in this country has been able to force them to pick passengers in other boroughs besides Manhattan. This past 3 weeks several pedestrians were killed while crossing the street: both a grandpa crossing the street with his little granddaughter; A senior citizen crossing the street with her walker and the s.o.b bus driver claims he was not aware he run her over and killed the poor lady. For god' sake She was someone's loved one.
( Groups of survivors) , families that have lost someone are working to create awareness and changes with judicial enforcement too. We want to change the word "accident". We are not statitics of unfortunate accidents. I am a private person,and in order to help accomplish changes I have made the decision to become public about this dreadful event that changed my life.

 

[LIblue]

http://freakonomics.com/2014/05/01/the-perfect-crime-a-new-freakonomics-radio-podcast/

thought this was interesting

 

[kylelovescrayons]

I am sure that in NYC some camera got the driver that hit you. No one got his plate? no one chased him down?

In my situation 2 people were right there (close to bus stop) where I got hit. They helped untangle me from my bike (i was clipped in) and I was in obvious shock. The only thing that actually hurt was my shoulder - I didn't realize my other arm from the elbow down looked like a lightning bolt with bones sticking out in two places. I was about 8 blocks from the hospital (could see the blue windows) so in shock I just grabbed my bike and started walking. The guy said he didn't get the plates and offered to hold my bike or lock it for me but in my head I was all let me take it. Obviously around block 7 I was wishing I had locked it up, but instead dragged it with a busted back wheel all through the hospital with me. Fun times.

By the time I got out, transferred to hospital for special surgery and was not in weird post surgery puke limbo it was over 2 weeks. They couldn't operate due to swelling in my arm for over a week. Since I had walked to the hospital in harlem no police report was ever filed at the scene. When I went to file one weeks later they said in order to access the camera on that block I'd need a subpeona, since no report was filed initially. I wasn't really trying to deal with all that. Luckily I had(have) great insurance from my job. Missed another 2 weeks and was back at work.

In hindsight I should have lyed there, gotten an ambulance and had statements taken by the cops of the witnesses, but i'm back to riding, and my arm sets off the metal detectors at yankee stadium which is fun every game.

 

[TabascoDiva]

http://freakonomics.com/2014/05/01/the-perfect-crime-a-new-freakonomics-radio-podcast/

thought this was interesting

Thanks for sharing it . Its is very interesting. According to Mayor di Blassio stated on Sunday Nov 15, 2015 that 70,000 fatalities in NYC. up to this date.

They couldn't operate due to swelling in my arm for over a week. Since I had walked to the hospital in harlem no police report was ever filed at the scene. When I went to file one weeks later they said in order to access the camera on that block I'd need a subpeona, since no report was filed initially. I wasn't really trying to deal with all that. Luckily I had(have) great insurance from my job. Missed another 2 weeks and was back at work.

In hindsight I should have lyed there, gotten an ambulance and had statements taken by the cops of the witnesses, but i'm back to riding, and my arm sets off the metal detectors at yankee stadium which is fun every game.

This past Sunday learned what I have suspected. Two facts that make this crime the perfect crime. There is a loophole that makes prosecution free and that judges are adverse to punish this. They do not consider it a crime.

 

[TabascoDiva]

<iframe src="https://abcnews.go.com/video/embed?id=53857211" width="640" height="360" scrolling="no" style="border:none;" allowfullscreen></iframe>


SELF Driven UBER vehicle kills a pedestrian

 

[TabascoDiva]

The Jackpot No One Wants To Win
This morning on my way to a medical appointment , I was stopped by police lines , not allowing pedestrians through to St Barnabas Hospital.
I saw many ambulances , police cars and TV cameras, and I knew in my heart it was pedestrian killed or badly hurt.
I asked, but the officer did not give any information. I told him that I am an advocate for pedestrians safety with TA, Families for Safe Streets and the folks with Vision Zero, advocating for re-design of NYC streets to make it safer for city residents. the PO just nodded his head and confirming someone got killed. I thanked him and went on my way .
Trying to get more info, I encountered other onlookers and asked and I got mixed / inconsistent stories... it was a hit, it was a personal revenge; Road Rage. At this moment I am writing an updated news: A firearm was also used and the motorist abandoned the SUV after crushing one of victims and killing another and ran off on foot.

That is the reality of pedestrians deaths: In our journeys as advocates for safer streets from motorist , is the indifference of New Yorker's that shock me most. Then the culture of law enforcement : there are no clear guidelines in reporting traffic violence deaths nor included in statistic. Folks until it happens to you personally or someone you love. . .

Summary : A New Yorker is more likely to get killed or hurt by a motorist than winning the NY State Lottery Jackpot.

 

[Midas Mulligan]

Apropos of nothing here, when I was a kid, my dad was a hit and run victim of a car presumed to have been traveling at 65 MPH. Massive trauma, ICU for weeks. Handicap ramps built all over our house. Activities and athletics done. It wasnt in NYC, but still.

Motorists in general are not aware enough. Cyclists cause more problems, as they generally behave as unpredictable scofflaws who endanger everyone else, pedestrian and auto, on the streets.

I wish bicycles were illegal in New York. Either require certification and licensing, or get them the fuck out.

 

[413Blue]

<iframe src="https://abcnews.go.com/video/embed?id=53857211" width="640" height="360" scrolling="no" style="border:none;" allowfullscreen></iframe>


SELF Driven UBER vehicle kills a pedestrian

The sad thing is I believe self-driving cars will save so many lives eventually. Hopefully this isn't a set back.

 

[Gotham Gator]

The sad thing is I believe self-driving cars will save so many lives eventually. Hopefully this isn't a set back.

I think they probably already are. Elon Musk says his data from millions of miles driven in Teslas is that there are fewer accidents, injuries and fatalities per mile in Tesla's "auto-pilot" mode than in regular driving.

 

[Ulrich]

The sad thing is I believe self-driving cars will save so many lives eventually. Hopefully this isn't a set back.

I’m no expert, but I think self-driving cars will only work when they’re the only vehicles on the road - much better suited for the highways where speed and direction are essentially uniform, rather than urban/suburban areas where outside variables (pedestrians, bikes, animals, or manually driven vehicles) come in to play along with constant speed and direction changes. It’s the co-mingling that will cause the accidents.

 

[Falastur]

I’m no expert, but I think self-driving cars will only work when they’re the only vehicles on the road - much better suited for the highways where speed and direction are essentially uniform, rather than urban/suburban areas where outside variables (pedestrians, bikes, animals, or manually driven vehicles) come in to play along with constant speed and direction changes. It’s the co-mingling that will cause the accidents.

Yeah, that's essentially my view on the whole thing too. Especially when you consider the proposals some scientists are making about massive fuel reductions for lorries by programming them to drive in convoy on their own dedicated lanes with literally only inches separating the rear of one from the start of the next one, thus essentially allowing entire queues of vehicles to benefit from peak efficiency slip-streaming. And then there's all the ideas about how you could make traffic lights irrelevant in a programmed traffic flow system that lets cars cross across perpendicular traffic without even having to slow down.

These are the kinds of ideas which simply don't work when you have human drivers on the roads. This is a problem, because some of us actually enjoy being behind the wheel, and don't want the car taking away the joy of being on the road, and while for some of us (myself included) this may simply be intransigence, you just know that - at least in some places - the entrenched attitudes of those who prefer manual driving to being surrounded by robots will mean that it becomes very hard to legislate to force human drivers off the roads.

 

[Christopher Jee]

Apropos of nothing here, when I was a kid, my dad was a hit and run victim of a car presumed to have been traveling at 65 MPH. Massive trauma, ICU for weeks. Handicap ramps built all over our house. Activities and athletics done. It wasnt in NYC, but still.

Motorists in general are not aware enough. Cyclists cause more problems, as they generally behave as unpredictable scofflaws who endanger everyone else, pedestrian and auto, on the streets.

I wish bicycles were illegal in New York. Either require certification and licensing, or get them the fuck out.

I'm a pretty regular cyclist and I agree with this. I think a lot of it is fuelled by antagonism towards the police and motorists, but it's still disappointing. And the antagonism is mutual, so the dynamic escalates, which just makes the roads more dangerous for everybody. I would be happy to submit to a licensing / plating system but I'm uncertain how much it would change things. You can already get fined.

Yeah, that's essentially my view on the whole thing too. Especially when you consider the proposals some scientists are making about massive fuel reductions for lorries by programming them to drive in convoy on their own dedicated lanes with literally only inches separating the rear of one from the start of the next one, thus essentially allowing entire queues of vehicles to benefit from peak efficiency slip-streaming. And then there's all the ideas about how you could make traffic lights irrelevant in a programmed traffic flow system that lets cars cross across perpendicular traffic without even having to slow down.

These are the kinds of ideas which simply don't work when you have human drivers on the roads. This is a problem, because some of us actually enjoy being behind the wheel, and don't want the car taking away the joy of being on the road, and while for some of us (myself included) this may simply be intransigence, you just know that - at least in some places - the entrenched attitudes of those who prefer manual driving to being surrounded by robots will mean that it becomes very hard to legislate to force human drivers off the roads.

What if they just give you a wheel that isn't attached to anything. And full control of the stereo except when it spontaneously plays Michael Bolton?

 

[Midas Mulligan]

I’m no expert, but I think self-driving cars will only work when they’re the only vehicles on the road - much better suited for the highways where speed and direction are essentially uniform, rather than urban/suburban areas where outside variables (pedestrians, bikes, animals, or manually driven vehicles) come in to play along with constant speed and direction changes. It’s the co-mingling that will cause the accidents.

Not to mention that “AI” isn’t really all that “i”.

Look up the videos and studies of what a little graffiti or stickers do to a stop sign.

 

[413Blue]

Not to mention that “AI” isn’t really all that “i”.

Look up the videos and studies of what a little graffiti or stickers do to a stop sign.

They should embed RFID transmitters or something similar into the roads in lieu of these cars reading signs and paint lines.

 

[Midas Mulligan]

They should embed RFID transmitters or something similar into the roads in lieu of these cars reading signs and paint lines.

You think that's reliable? If it's as reliable as paying with your phone, no thanks .

 

[Ulrich]

They should embed RFID transmitters or something similar into the roads in lieu of these cars reading signs and paint lines.

The problem with that, is the ease that some practical joker/asshat will fck around and plant RFID transmitters where they shouldn't be, and the result will be unexpected mash-ups. Any outside "sources" that the cars need to rely on can be manipulated.