Tag Archives: New York

“Stroads” Increase Likelihood of Traffic Accidents in New York

Despite NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio’s “Vision Zero” plan to reduce traffic fatalities, pedestrian deaths are on the rise in New York City. In fact, traffic-related deatshs continue to be a problem throughout the State of New York. One of the reasons for this is poor road design, resulting in so-called “stroads” that combine the worst features of streets and roads.

A road is intended to be a high-speed connection from one destination to another, while a street is designed for low-speed travel within those destinations. Unlike roads, streets are intended to function as activity centers for both drivers and walkers. Chuck Marohn, a former traffic engineer, coined the term “stroad” to describe a street/road hybrid. Highways often bleed into stroads, which, with multiple lanes and wide shoulders, are designed like small highways. Stroads are also similar to streets because they typically have lower speed limits, several intersections, sidewalks, and multiple points of access to properties along the stroad.

An unintended side effect of stroads is that they encourage fast-moving drivers who are used to driving at high speeds on similarly designed roads. In many rural areas, stroads function as the town’s main street. This means that pedestrians and bicyclists are more likely to use these potentially unsafe roadways.

Other downsides to stroads include:

  • Dangerous when highway transitions into a stroad with no warning: Drivers don’t feel comfortable driving at lower speeds so soon after getting off the highway.
  • Wide lanes induce higher speeds for cars, leading to severe injuries in car accidents.
  • Wide shoulders create less room for pedestrians to safely walk on sidewalks.
  • Intersections cause turning drivers to cutoff pedestrians.
  • Multiple access points cause congestion and traffic accidents.
  • Inefficient for travelers
  • Expensive to build
  • Lower property values: Lack of pedestrian traffic on stroads can devalue the surrounding property and discourage expansion of existing businesses.
  • Fewer retail sales: High travel speeds discourage drivers from noticing signs and stopping.
  • When businesses fail, the adjacent land is often converted into parking lots: This kind of land use is not financially productive and can further depreciate property values in the surrounding area.

If you’ve received a traffic ticket or been involved in a motor vehicle accident anywhere in New York, contact the experienced traffic defense lawyers at the Law Office of James E. Tyner, PLLC. For your free initial consultation call 866-642-3807.

NYC DWI Cabbie Program

Allows Drunk Drivers to be Taken Home in Their Own Vehicles

The New York State Federation of Taxi Drivers (NYSFTD) enacted a new program over the holidays that allowed drunken individuals to be driven home by cabbies. The unique aspect of the program was that the taxi driver drove the intoxicated person’s car.

The pilot program, called “Operation Red Nose,” ran for nearly a week leading up to New Year’s Day. Afterwards, the NYSFTD declared the program a huge success, noting that it provided more than 1,800 trips for people who were unable to safely drive themselves home. Five hundred people used the service on New Year’s Eve alone.

Cab drivers eligible for the program had to be approved by the NY Taxi and Limousine Commission. The program called for two of these eligible taxi drivers to show up to a call, with one of the cabbies driving the client’s personal vehicle while the other “escort” cabbie followed in a taxi. Once the passenger was safely delivered to his or her destination, the driver following in the taxi would pick up the other driver.

DWI Cabbie Program Makes NY Roads Safer

Some might consider the Operation Red Nose program cost-prohibitive, with already-expensive NYC taxi fees being doubled for a client wishing to be driven home in his or her own car. However, if expanded and enacted on a large scale, the program could ultimately save tens of thousands of people from being assessed far more costly fines, parking tickets, and towing fees. Even without late fees or penalties being levied, a typical parking ticket in New York City can cost a person upwards of $115. Additionally, a person charged with a first offense DWI in New York could be looking at fines totaling more than $1,750, in addition to fees and associated costs for enrolling in the NY Drinking Driver Program, the state’s DWI-specific traffic school.

Another benefit afforded by the Operation Red Nose program is that it kept potential drunk drivers from destroying their lives. According to research conducted by the Century Council, more than 35,000 drivers were arrested in New York in 2011 for driving under the influence of alcohol or narcotics. A person can be charged with driving while intoxicated (DWI) in NY if he or she has a blood alcohol content of 0.08 percent or higher. The penalties for a DWI conviction in New York are severe. For example, a second offense DWI conviction could result in a sentence of up to four years in jail and driver’s license revocation for at least one year. Additionally, since a second offense DWI is considered a class E felony, a conviction will show up on a person’s permanent criminal record.

Perhaps the greatest benefit of the Operation Red Nose program is that it ensured public safety by encouraging drunk drivers to stay off the roads. Fernando Mateo, the founder and spokesperson for the NYSFTD, said that the pilot program that was in effect during the holiday season saved lives because people are often willing to take the risk of driving drunk rather than leave their car behind and risk having it get stolen, towed away, or ticketed. Unfortunately, this willingness to drive while intoxicated doesn’t just risk the lives of drunk drivers; it puts everyone on NYC roads at risk. According to Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), there were 344 alcohol-impaired driving fatalities in New York in 2012. This figure represented nearly 30 percent of total traffic deaths in the state.

Now that the Operation Red Nose pilot program has concluded, the NYSFTD is looking into the possibility of offering the program year-round in New York City. In the meantime, NY traffic officers will continue to crack down on drunk driving.

If you’ve been assessed a traffic violation or charged with drunk driving in New York, do not hesitate to contact the experienced drunk driving and traffic defense lawyers at the Law Office of James E. Tyner, PLLC. For a free consultation call 866-642-3807.

 

If NY Uses New StarChase GPS It Could Prevent Police Chases

 

A new technology that sounds rather James Bond-like, if implemented in New York, might protect police officers and innocent bystanders by limiting the need for dangerous police chases.

Law enforcement agencies throughout the country use the StarChase company’s launchable GPS tracker to keep track of the whereabouts of suspects’ vehicles. The agencies and departments currently using the new technology include the Arizona Highway Patrol, the Arizona Department of Public Safety, the Iowa State Highway Patrol, and the police department in Austin, Texas.

At present, the technology is not used in New York. However, as the GPS tracker is being utilized and tested by more and more police departments and law enforcement agencies across the country, it may be only a matter of time before NY police departments consider employing the new technology. The question is: Should NY police departments use the device?

High-Speed Police Chases Are Dangerous

Police chases occur for all kinds of reasons: a stolen car, a drunk driver, a driver under the influence of narcotics, and minor traffic violations. High-speed pursuits put law enforcement officers at risk. Just as serious is the risk posed to innocent bystanders during police chases. According to the FBI, 42 percent of persons killed or injured in police pursuits are innocent third parties.

The New GPS Technology Might Save Lives

A National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) study determined that 360 people are killed each year in police chases. Some experts argue that the number of fatalities is even higher because there is no mandatory reporting system for deaths in police pursuits.

StarChase, the Virginia-based company that manufactures the new GPS technology, said that police apprehended 80 percent of suspects whose vehicles had been tagged with the company’s tracking device. The Arizona Department of Public Safety recently used device to track drug traffickers and recover more than 2,000 pounds of marijuana.

The new technology could prevent accidents and save lives by allowing police officers to avoid pursuing suspects in potentially dangerous chases. The StarChase system utilizes a double-barreled, compressed-air unit that is designed to be mounted onto the grille of a police cruiser. A police officer in hot pursuit of a suspect uses an air cannon to fire a small GPS beacon onto the suspect’s car. This allows officers to track the suspect from a safe distance and then make an arrest later with the assistance of backup.

NY police departments might truly benefit by using the new GPS technology. Additionally, the public at large could probably benefit from more widespread use of the device.

If you have been cited for a traffic violation in New York, contact the aggressive and experienced traffic defense lawyers at the Law Office of James E. Tyner, PLLC or call 866-642-3807 for a free consultation.