The number of crashes in the city go up as the sun goes down, the NYPD and city officials said Thursday as they announced New York’s annual “Dusk & Darkness” initiative.
“It’s the most dangerous time of the year for pedestrians and cyclists,” city Department of Transportation Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez said during a press conference outside of police headquarters.
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NYPD Chief of Transportation Kim Royster said there is a strong correlation between the “earlier onset of darkness and traffic injuries and fatalities.”
The NYPD Collision Investigation Squad investigates on East Fordham Road and Morris Avenue in University Heights where a pedestrian was fatally struck, Saturday, Aug. 28, 2021. ( (Jeff Bachner/for New York Daily News)
“Motorists more frequently strike pedestrians in the early evening hours,” she said, adding that cops will be out in force at dusk watching for speeding and reckless drivers.
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The added attention at dusk hours began on Halloween and will be doubly important as New Yorkers roll their clocks back an hour as they mark daylight savings time.
A driver’s vision is severely hampered at dusk, Royster said, encouraging motorists to slow down while navigating city streets and highways.
Overall traffic fatalities have dropped by 9% this year from 229 this time last year to 207, Royster said. Pedestrian fatalities have dropped by 15%, from 105 to 89, NYPD statistics show.