Staten Island residents have long voiced their complaints about the New York City borough’s intersections and streets lacking proper safety infrastructure leading to car accidents and pedestrian accidents. Although the city has focused efforts on upgrading and repairing infrastructure, there is still much to be accomplished to protect Staten Island motorists and pedestrians.
Danger On Staten Island Roadways
In May 2021, a three-car collision at the intersection of Broadway and Forest avenue left eight people injured. A police car was responding to a 911 call when it sped into the intersection and collided with a taxicab hurrying to make a yellow light. The impact propelled the cab into a third vehicle and caused the police car to strike a 72-year-old woman who was waiting at the nearby bus stop. Luckily, the two police officers, three individuals in the cab, two people in the third vehicle, and the pedestrian escaped the accident without serious injuries.
Almost a year earlier, in February of 2020, another incident only a few blocks away involved a motorcycle and car colliding with one another while turning. The crash occurred at the intersection of Clove Road and Forest Avenue in West Brighton, Staten Island. Reports indicate that the motorcycle was in the process of making a right turn onto Forest Avenue when it collided with a car making a left turn onto Forest Avenue in the same direction. Tragically, the incident resulted in the motorcycle rider passing away from his injuries at the hospital. A friend of the deceased was quoted as saying, “This is a bad corner right here,” referring to the intersection, which does not have a turn signal. After the accident, a Department of Transportation spokesperson said that the agency was “listening to the community’s concerns and plans to re-study the intersection for a turn signal in the fall.” While Staten Island contains numerous dangerous intersections, the behavior of its drivers may also be a contributing factor to crashes.
An organization striving to promote safer streets for pedestrians released the results of an investigation
Last year, Transportation Alternatives, an organization striving to promote safer streets for pedestrians, released the results of an investigation into the speeding habits of New Yorkers. The report, appropriately titled “Too Fast, Too Furious,” discovered that most city drivers exceed the speed limit. Overall, seventy percent drive in excess of the posted speed limit of twenty-five miles per hour. The data was compiled by Families for Safe Streets and Transportation Alternatives. The two organizations set up radar guns in five separate locations, one in each borough. These instruments recorded the speed of drivers passing through certain areas for several hours at a time. The results showed that Staten Island drivers were the worst offenders. On Staten Island, a staggering 94 percent of drivers were recorded exceeding the speed limit. The fastest driver was clocked in at 63 miles per hour, almost three times the posted limit. A large number of speeding drivers, combined with dangerous intersections and road design, can, unfortunately, lead to serious collisions.
Although vehicle-related tragedies are far too common in New York City, the best way to protect yourself and your family in case of an accident is to trust a proven injury attorney. If you or a loved one has been injured in a car accident as a result of someone’s negligence, please contact our office for a free consultation.
