Photo Courtesy of Sen. Peralta’s Office
Caroline Samponaro of Transportation Alternatives (l. to r.), Sen. Peralta, Assemblywoman Glick, and Cristina Furlong, co-founder of Make Queens Safer, unveiled the bill last week in front of PS 41 in Manhattan.
By Forum Staff
State Sen. Jose Peralta (D-East Elmhurst) and Assemblywoman Deborah Glick (D-Manhattan) joined transit safety advocates in Manhattan last week to unveil a bill aimed at reducing traffic accidents around schools by penalizing drivers who speed in school zones.
Under the proposed legislation, drivers convicted of three or more speeding violations in school zones on school days within an 18-month period would lose their license for 60 days.
“We have a responsibility to hold reckless drivers accountable for their actions,” Peralta said. “Schools zones are slow zones. Period.”
In 2013, according to the City Department of Transportation, at least three in every four drivers exceeded limits within a quarter mile of 100 school buildings surveyed. In addition, at another 306 school zones, between 25 and 75 percent of the drivers exceeded the speed limit.
“This is one more step to keep our children safe,” Peralta said. “Last year, more than a thousand schoolchildren under the age of 17 were injured in crashes, and nine children were killed. So, this proposal is aimed at improving schoolchildren and pedestrian safety, especially in and around school zones. Every day, more than one million children travel to and from schools in the City, so we must ensure that our students are safe at all times.”
Peralta also noted that when a child under the age of 14 is struck by a vehicle traveling 35 miles per hour, they are five times more likely to die than if they were hit by a vehicle traveling 25 miles per hour.
“Undoubtedly, exceeding speed limits a few miles can be the difference between life and death in crashes,” he said.
“When a parent or guardian sends their children to school, they deserve the peace of mind to know that speeding motorists will not put their children in danger,” said Glick. “Requiring the suspension of a driver’s license after three or more speeding violations within a school zone in an 18-month period of time is the least we can do for our children. We must put all speeding motorists on notice that reckless driving in our school zones will not be tolerated. I am happy to be working with Senator Peralta, Transportation Alternatives, Make Queens Safer and our community members to slow motorists down in our school zones.”
Cristina Furlong, co-founder of Makes Queens Safer, added, “When drivers persist in disregarding the safety of our children, the result could be tragic. We believe that it is fair and just to have this new legislation to act as a deterrent to the dangerous behaviors and rampant speeding that put our kids in harm’s way.”
