Bronx River Parkway Crash Raises Road Safety Concerns
The van carrying seven family members that died in last week’s Bronx Zoo crash was traveling with traffic. It may have been going 68 mph in a 50 mph zone, but that’s how 
fast traffic moves in that area. The accident has raised safety concerns among officials and New York motorists alike, bringing attention to the “aging highway system,” according to the Washington Post.
“The Bronx River Parkway is a glaring example of the deficiencies we see on area roadways,” said Robert Sinclair, a spokesman for the American Automobile Association. “These roads were never envisioned as being the commuter arterial roadways that they are now. The roads are twisty. They are hilly. The lanes are narrow. There are no breakdown lanes. The on-ramps are too short.”
Despite these facts, the roads of New York City are said to be far less deadly than other systems throughout the country. The Department of Transportation says that 243 people died in NYC accidents in 2011, the least amount in over 100 years. North Carolina, a state with about the same number of people as NYC, averages around 1,300 fatalities per year.
Experts say that rural roads or those without much traffic are the deadliest.
Despite the fact that NYC roads might be safer than those in more sparsely populated areas, they are still outdated. Cost is the overwhelming reason that overhauling the roads won’t happen anytime soon.
The New York Metropolitan Transportation Council estimates that operating and maintaining the current system, without major overhauls, will cost $951 billion between 2010 and 2035. Any significant changes would only add to that price tag.
Currently, there are no places to even change a tire if you should get a flat. This means a single blow out can stop traffic and potentially cause additional accidents.
In the city, where there isn’t much room at all, widening or straightening a road would be a huge undertaking, where buildings would have to be razed in order to make room—something that’s just not probable.
New York roadways are some of the safest, but they are still the setting of numerous car accidents each and every day. A single accident, between two vehicles, even at a low rate of speed, can affect many lives.
If you are hurt in an auto accident in the city or even on the outskirts, we may be able to help. You could be entitled to compensation for your injuries and the pain and suffering the accident has caused. Contact the attorneys of Omrani & Taub to discuss your case today. We can talk about your rights and your options. You deserve justice and our attorneys may be able to help.
