The grim joke about life in New York City is that if you want to get away with murder, make sure you commit the crime with a car.

Our editorial cartoonist and national treasure Bill Roundy is certainly no fan of overpolicing — with its attendant racial bias and general human error — but he also feels that our city does not levy suitable punishment to reckless drivers who kill people and then claim, “Oh, it was just an accident.”

Yes, sometimes, there are small fines for “failure to yield” or “failure to exercise due care,” and sometimes the Department of Motor Vehicles will suspend the driver’s license for a few months. But the vast majority of those drivers don’t even get a traffic ticket for the death, which leads to no accountability and certainly no deterrent effect.

Today’s cartoon captures that frustration with classic Roundian wit. Enjoy.

All of Bill Roundy’s cartoons are archived here.