Every year, approximately 4,000 New Yorkers are seriously injured and more than 250 are killed in traffic crashes. Being struck by a vehicle is the leading cause of injury-related death for children under 14, and the second leading cause for seniors. On average, vehicles seriously injure or kill a New Yorker every two hours.
Vision Zero is the City’s goal for ending traffic deaths and injuries on our streets.
Recently, a very powerful video was released, and we encourage you to watch it.
“Drive like your family lives here: that’s our message. These are all our children, our parents, our brothers and our sisters. These tragedies could be any of ours. We have each other’s lives in our hands. Above all things, Vision Zero is about all of us taking collective responsibility for making our streets safer.”
– Bill de Blasio
“I hope that the video will tell drivers a person killed by a vehicle is not merely a name or number.
There is a person behind the name, and there is a family behind that person, and there is a community of family and friends behind that person. That person had dreams, hopes, and plans for the coming weeks, months and years just like all of us, which were crushed by a reckless driver.“This film will have an impact on some drivers, if not all. They will think twice before driving carelessly or recklessly. We only pay attention to something when we associate our own family to the situation. Thinking that my careless driving could kill my own family would certainly slow me down.”
– Lizi Rahman [Families for Safe Streets]