Brad Aaron
Brad Aaron began writing for Streetsblog in 2007, after years as a reporter, editor, and publisher in the alternative weekly business. Brad adopted New York's dysfunctional traffic justice system as his primary beat for Streetsblog. He lives in Manhattan.
Recent Posts
DOT: Speeding the Leading Cause of NYC Traffic Deaths in 2012
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Motor vehicle occupant deaths increased by 46 percent from 2011 to last year, NYC DOT said today, as the agency emphasized the need for automated enforcement with the release of 2012 traffic fatality counts. There were 274 traffic deaths in NYC in 2012, compared to 245 in 2011. Motor vehicle occupant fatalities increased from 50 […]
Brooklyn Senator Marty Golden Lobbies Against Life-Saving Speed Cameras
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State Senator Marty Golden and the Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association are working to keep life-saving speed enforcement cameras out of NYC. A demonstration program with a handful of cameras was included in the State Assembly budget, and has the support of Mayor Bloomberg, the City Council and NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly. City leaders and street safety […]
No Charges Filed as Six Are Killed by NYC Drivers in Seven Days
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A Brooklyn woman who was struck by a truck driver in Red Hook Wednesday was the latest victim among six city pedestrian and cyclist fatalities in the last week. At approximately 6:40 a.m. yesterday, Lillian Cruz, 60, was crossing Hamilton Avenue at Court Street when the signal changed and the driver of a tractor-trailer, westbound […]
How Many Are Hurt and Killed in NYPD-Involved Crashes? Don’t Ask NYPD.
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Gothamist has been following the case of Ryo Oyamada, the Japanese student who was struck and killed by an NYPD officer near his Queensbridge home in the early hours of February 21. The department claims the cruiser was moving at 35 to 39 mph on 40th Avenue, with lights on, as officers responded to a call, […]
Kelly: NYPD to Add 10 Investigators to Crash Team
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Ray Kelly says NYPD’s revamped crash investigation team will be increased by half. At a City Council budget hearing this morning, Kelly told council members that the Accident Investigation Squad, soon to be known as the Collision Investigation Squad, will add 10 officers. The unit currently has a staff of 19 investigators. According to the […]
Ray Kelly: NYPD Will Retire “Accident” and “Dead or Likely to Die” Rule
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NYPD will increase the number of officers assigned to investigate serious traffic crashes, and will revise protocols that denied the possibility of justice to thousands of victims of vehicular violence, according to a letter from Commissioner Ray Kelly to the City Council. In another major shift, the department will stop using the word “accident” to […]
What City Do Christine Quinn and James Vacca Represent?
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In February, no fewer than nine people were killed by drivers while walking in NYC, according to data compiled by Streetsblog. The victims included five seniors and a 6-year-old child. Two victims were on the sidewalk when they were killed. Another was struck by an NYPD officer in a crash that police refuse to explain […]
There’s Still Nothing Special About a Million NYPD Traffic Summonses
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To read the Daily News analysis of 2012 summons data, you’d think NYPD has reckless driving completely under control. While the story throws out a lot of purportedly high figures, as usual the tabloid’s perspective is distorted by the windshield. NYPD issued a total of 1,020,754 moving violations last year [PDF]. That’s down slightly from […]
John Eberling, 76, Latest to Die in Traffic in Eric Ulrich’s Council District
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A Queens senior struck by an alleged drunk driver last week was at least the fourth person to die in traffic in Eric Ulrich’s City Council district in the last six months. John Eberling, 76, was crossing Jamaica Avenue at 80th Street at approximately 4:30 on the afternoon of February 27 when he was struck […]
NYPD: 1,297 Pedestrians and Cyclists Injured, 20 Killed in Traffic in January
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Twenty-eight people were killed in New York City traffic in January, and 3,993 were injured, according to the latest NYPD crash data report [PDF]. More pedestrians and cyclists were killed in January than in any single month in 2012, when the highest monthly death toll was 17. Citywide, at least 20 pedestrians were fatally struck […]
Mike Bloomberg’s NYPD Traffic Enforcement Blind Spot
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It’s not for nothing that Michael Bloomberg is known as a champion of traffic safety. He has given millions to reduce global road deaths, and the life-saving innovations that have become the hallmark of his DOT are setting the pace for cities across the U.S. This makes the mayor’s refusal to acknowledge NYPD’s traffic enforcement […]
Ray Kelly, Cy Vance, and the Post Are Why NYC Kids Need Crossing Guards
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In case you missed it, after years of bashing the city’s efforts to make walking and cycling less dangerous, the editors of the New York Post have decided they care about children’s safety. But in its Saturday editorial persecuting the crossing guard who was not present when 6-year-old Amar Diarrassouba was fatally struck by a truck driver, […]