"JEAN PAUL'S LAW" TO COMBAT HIT AND RUNS CRASHES RECEIVES HEARING AT NYC COUNCIL
Emotional Testimony from Family of Fallen DJ on Why New Legislation to Target Hit and Run Drivers is So Important
New York, NY -- On Tuesday, May 2nd, Council Transportation Chair Ydanis Rodriguez joined victims of hit and run
and family members to call for the passage of two bills aimed at increasing the arrest rates for the drivers behind these tragedies. Council Member Rodriguez announced that his legislation, Intros 1418 and 1463, would from now on be known as "Jean Paul's Law" as the Council heard these bills for the first time following a small press conference.
Nearly once a week, someone is killed or seriously injured by a hit-and-run driver in NYC, an alarming rate. Council Member Rodriguez, sponsor of the legislation, pointed to the low arrest rates for hit and run violations as a reason why drivers might make the decision to flee instead of remaining to assist their victims:
"Hit and run crashes occur far too frequently on our streets, with drivers quick to flee because they think they can skirt responsibility," said
Council Transportation Chair Ydanis Rodriguez. "By using the many eyes and ears of New Yorkers to track down these cowardly drivers, we can work to reverse this trend and end the senseless loss of life that occurs about once per week. I look forward to working with my colleagues at the Council and the de Blasio Administration to pass these bills expediently so we can put hit and run drivers on notice: leave the scene of a crash and you will be arrested and prosecuted."
Before a joint committee of the NYC Council Transportation and Public Safety committees, representatives from NYC DOT and NYPD testified on the bills, followed by advocates and victims of hit and run crashes lending their voices of support. Council Member Rodriguez's opening statement can be found here.
Family members of DJ Jinx Paul provided emotional testimony about their cousin and the grief the family has been through. DJ Jean Paul, a DJ on the Spanish-language radio station, La Mega 97.9 FM, was killed in late December 2016 in a hit and run crash early in the morning after performing at a nightclub.
Intros 1463 and 1418 respectively, would create an amber alert system so members of the public can inform the NYPD of vehicles involved in hit and run crashes; and establish a reward fund for information leading to the arrest of hit and run drivers who kill on our streets. This strategy would leverage the eyes and ears of the public to assist the NYPD in investigations that today go unsolved at a high rate.
New York City would follow cities including Los Angeles and Denver with these efforts, aiming to drastically cut down on hit and run crashes and increase arrest & conviction rates.
"By working for new ways to improve police investigations and put an end to the scourge of hit-and-run, Council Member Rodriguez has shown true Vision Zero leadership," said Paul Steely White, Executive Director of Transportation Alternatives. "We urge the Council to pass this important legislation without delay, so the City will have additional tools to turn hit-and-run statistics around as we work toward the goal of zero fatalities and serious injuries on our streets"
"The alert system Council Member Rodriguez is proposing will help police improve investigations, and that means more New Yorkers will have a chance to get some measure of justice if they've lost a loved one or been hurt by a hit-and-run driver," said Families for Safe Streets member Dulcie Canton, who was herself seriously injured by a driver who fled the crash scene. "This legislation is an important Vision Zero tool, along with the speed safety cameras we need to protect every school from reckless driving and make traffic enforcement more equitable across the city."
According to NYPD stats in FY2016
:
- There were 44,865 hit-and-run incidents
- Of those, 38 crashes were fatal and only 13 arrests were made (Arrest rate: 34%)
- 22 crashes seriously injured the victim and only 14 arrests were made (Arrest rate: 64%)
- 5006 crashes that resulted in some form of injury, only 423 arrests made (Arrest rate: 8%)
