Mayor de Blasio Calls for Harsher Penalties for Reckless Drivers

By Yehudit Garmaise

   After a reporter asked the mayor this morning about the 15% increase traffic fatalities that New Yorkers have experienced this year, Mayor Bill de Blasio said, “there are not clear enough, strong enough consequences in the law for drivers who hurt their fellow New Yorkers and even kill their fellow New Yorkers.”

  The mayor continued to say that both city and state laws are not protecting pedestrians and safe drivers in New York City.

   “The law is still too deferential to the [reckless] automobile driver: especially if that driver is under the influence, and they harm someone, there needs to be real penalties for that,” the mayor said this morning at his press conference.

    Although fewer cars have been on the road this year because of the pandemic, fatal car crashes are more frequent than last year, the Department of Transportation just said.  

   Unfortunately, this year so far, 222 drivers have been killed, which is the highest that number has been since Mayor Bill De Blasio took office in 2014.

  “We need stronger laws and harsher penalties [for reckless drivers,]” said Mayor de Blasio, who said he has worked the NYPD on increasing the safety of the city’s streets.  “I want to see the NYPD constantly improve enforcement and follow-through. There has been a lot of work in the NYPD to make “Vision Zero” come alive. It never would have worked without NYPD, but there is still more we can do to tighten up enforcement. I am quite clear about that.”

Credit: Rob Bennett for the Office of Mayor Bill de Blasio