Archives of the Mayor's Press Office

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: Thursday, September 23, 1999

Release #374-99

Contact: Sunny Mindel/Matthew Higgins (212) 788-2958



NEW YORK CITY RECEIVES TOP NATIONAL
TRAFFIC SAFETY AWARD FROM AAA

AAA Honors Outstanding Effectiveness of NYC's Traffic Safety Programs

Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani today announced that AAA has selected New York City as one of two cities to receive its top national award for traffic safety, the Distinguished Achievement Award. The prestigious top honor is given each year to communities that "statistically demonstrate outstanding success in addressing local traffic safety issues." In announcing its decision, the AAA cited New York City's dramatic success in reducing pedestrian fatalities, accidents and alcohol-related crashes through a comprehensive traffic safety strategy. The AAA also selected Mendota, Illinois - a city of 7,000 people - to receive the Distinguished Achievement Award.

"New York City is honored to receive this prestigious award, which recognizes our national leadership in the area of traffic safety," the Mayor said. "Our multi-pronged traffic safety strategy features the work of many different agencies focusing on public education, the installation of safety devices and strict enforcement of our vehicular laws. The innovative programs acknowledged by AAA - such as New York City's tough crackdown on drunk drivers - are the reason why fewer and fewer New Yorkers are losing their lives each year in preventable tragedies. I congratulate the New York City Police Department and the City's Department of Transportation for successfully keeping our streets safer for both pedestrians and drivers."

Automobile Club of New York President Donald T. Phillips said, "We are delighted to recognize the vital and life-saving work that is being done by the City of New York and the other award winners. Their dedication to traffic safety cannot be surpassed."

Police Commissioner Howard Safir said, "Pedestrian and driver safety is a top priority of the New York City Police Department and the driving force behind many of our initiatives, from reducing drunk and reckless driving and stopping motorists from blocking the box to encouraging motorists to buckle up. Our City's innovative strategies for improving safety on our streets and highways -- such as seizing the vehicles of drunk drivers -- are becoming national models for reform. The Police Department, the Department of Transportation and other government agencies and private organizations will continue to work together to make New York City among the safest cities in America for pedestrians and drivers alike."

Department of Transportation Commissioner Wilbur Chapman said, "This award is tremendous recognition of the life saving work that is being performed on a daily basis by Dr. Ilona Lubman, Ph.D. and her (DOT) Safety Education staff. It is gratifying to see their work acknowledged on a national scale."

Among the initiatives cited by AAA as examples of successful pedestrian and driver safety programs was Safety City, where third graders learn safety techniques for activities such as crossing streets, riding in cars, driving bicycles, skating and skateboarding. The Safety City Centers, located in all five boroughs, combine classroom instruction with hands-on lessons in decision making through a realistic, yet protected street and intersection. The AAA also highlighted the Police Department's effective STOP-DWI program, which incorporates public education -such as the dissemination of DWI penalty cards - with sobriety checkpoints. This year, Mother's Against Drunk Driving also selected New York City as the location to kickoff National Sobriety Checkpoint Week because of New York City's effective use of sobriety checkpoints to combat drunk driving.

New York City's innovative combination of public safety initiatives -- including public education campaigns, the expedited installation of traffic devices and crackdowns on reckless and drunk driving -- has yielded significant improvements in pedestrian and vehicular safety. The number of pedestrian deaths dropped from 395 in FY90 to 184 in FY99. Since the inception last February of the Police Department's initiative to seize the vehicles of drunk drivers, alcohol-related fatalities have dropped 42 percent and arrests are down 15 percent. In the first half of 1999, the Department of Transportation installed 100 percent of its new traffic signals within six months, up from 34 percent during the same period the previous year.





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