Here's Why Drivers Get Away With Murder In NYC

[torquer]

http://gothamist.com/2012/02/15/here...y_with_mur.php
■The NYPD issued more summonses to cyclists than truck drivers last year: truckers got 14,962 moving violation summonses and 10,415 Criminal Court summonses, while cyclists got 13,743 moving violation summonses and a whopping 34,813 Criminal Court summonses. Priorities!
■The NYPD Accident Investigation Squad [AIS] only has 19 detectives, three sergeants, and one lieutenant, responsible investigating fatal accidents for the entire city. But don't worry, there's always at least one detective on duty at all times.
■The AIS will only investigate accidents in which the victim dies or seems likely to die. If you get hit by a driver and end up in a wheelchair for the rest of your life, there's no AIS investigation. The patrol officers will fill out an accident report, and traffic tickets might be issued, but there will never be an in-depth investigation or follow-up.
■241 pedestrians or cyclists were killed by drivers last year. Only 17 of the drivers responsible faced criminal charges.
■Asked how many criminal charges were filed against drivers in non-fatal accidents, the NYPD reps said they were not aware of any.
■Hayley and Diego's Laws were created to empower the NYPD to issue "careless driving" charges, but the NYPD says judges have repeatedly thrown out these charges on the grounds that an officer has to personally witness the accident in order to file the charge.

(sigh)

[echappist]

gawd, i cannot wait for the day i get out of this effing city

that said, i think the stats were inflated as they are ticketing people for such things as going 28mph in Central Park, etc

[Ahneida Ride]

Big Brother knows best !

[cmg]

it's always assumded that the cyclist is in the wrong.

[FGC]

Do you think the stats would be any different in any other city? The volume would be lower, but the ratios would probably be similar.

[tiretrax]

Originally Posted by cmg

it's always assumded that the cyclist is in the wrong.

That's the problem. Cops love to pick on cyclists. There's a 4 way stop sign a 1/2 block from my house. My street extends one block to a dead end at a rail to trail. The local p.d. hangs out on that block and tickets folks coming down the cross street who "run" the stop sign. Needless to say, I do the best track stand in my life before I cross the intersection.

[beercan]

its easier for cops to ramm into cyclists and stop them or knock them off their bikes, ive seen it happen, i always happen to remind myself that cops arent bad people - some people make bad cops - its infuriating knowing that a bunch of these cops atleast in NYC dont know the laws regarding cyclists rights

[summilux]

Where I live (Ottawa, Canada), a cyclist got doored, throwing her into oncoming traffic, where she was killed. $150 fine for the carless door opener, nothing else. You don't have to live in NYC to be pissed off.

[kceb_cire]

Originally Posted by summilux

Where I live (Ottawa, Canada), a cyclist got doored, throwing her into oncoming traffic, where she was killed. $150 fine for the carless door opener, nothing else. You don't have to live in NYC to be pissed off.

Horrible.