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NYPD cracking down on drunk drivers this weekend amid high traffic deaths

By FOX 5 NY STAFF
Published  December 23, 2022 8:42am EST
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FOX 5 NY

NYPD cracking down on drunk drivers this holiday weekend

The New York City Police Department will be on high alert this holiday weekend for speeding and drunk drivers.

NEW YORK - The New York City Police Department will be on high alert this holiday weekend for speeding and drunk drivers.

Enforcement will be in place on highways and local streets during peak times. It comes amid a push for state legislation that would lower the legal blood alcohol level from .08 to .05. Advocates say it would significantly decrease fatalities in the state.

Data reveals in 2021, traffic fatalities tied to DWI saw a 60% increase over the prior three-year average of 27.

Increase in traffic fatalities

There is alarming new data showing pedestrian deaths on the rise in New York City. So far, 2022 has had the deadlines beginning to any year for pedestrians since 2014. Now, there are calls for city leaders to take action to make streets safer.

As traffic fatalities remain high in the city, new data is painting a clearer picture of where New York City's most unsafe streets are located.

RELATED: More than 42,000 people were killed on US roads last year, traffic agency says

To fight back, a new source of information has been made available called Spacial Equity NYC.

Website tracks dangerous roads in NYC

With traffic fatalities remaining high in New York City, an new website is using data to paint a clearer picture of where the most unsafe streets are located.

The website is a collaboration between Transportation Alternatives and MIT. It shows some neighborhoods have five times the rates of traffic deaths and injuries and combines a host of other data to make sense of it. 

RELATED: NYC traffic violence is 'public health crisis,' official says

For instance, indicators like how wide streets are, air quality and asthma rates. The presence of bike lanes can directly impact the rate of deaths on any corridor.

NYC traffic violence

New York City leaders say traffic accidents are rising at an alarming rate. The commissioner of the city Department of Transportation wants more speed cameras put in school zones and more red-light cameras at dangerous intersections.

The creators of Spacial Equity NYC want to arm New Yorkers with data so instead of just demanding change they can ask for specific changes, like greater access to parks if their neighborhood ranks low on that.

New Yorkers can go on the Spacial Equity NYC website and see exactly what it is that their neighborhood lacks and what sort of interventions will make their streets safer.