Share the Street.org

Someone dies in a motor vehicle accident every 36 hours in New York City.

This statistic is disheartening. But we are not powerless, we are New Yorkers. There is much we can do to reverse the following facts¹:

• Motor vehicle accidents are the leading cause of accidental death of New York City children
• Children make up 84% of all motor vehicle-related pedestrian deaths
• 50% of these accidents take place within 700 feet of schools
• Light trucks including SUVs, vans, and trucks are disproportionately involved in fatal child motor vehicle accidents (37%)

We are determined to bring civility to our streets by creating a partnership between New York City residents and businesses to declare child pedestrian safety a priority in our neighborhoods.

Experts say  the best way to advance child pedestrian safety is to "modify the behavior and attitudes of both pedestrians and drivers to improve sharing the road"². They specifically encourage strategies that increase mutual respect of pedestrians and motorists.

This is exactly what 'Share The Street' is all about.

We hope to grow Share The Street to include hundreds of families and businesses to pressure elected officials to make child pedestrian safety a top priority.  

Our own public advocate, Betsy Gotbaum, recently testified, "We can no longer spend money on a transportation infrastructure that puts car traffic ahead of human safety."³

Join Share The Street by pledging your support and taking action.

1. New York City Child Fatality Review Team’s “Child Fatality Report”, NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene
   
   
2. "National Strategies for Advancing Pedestrian Safety," a report of The Injury Prevention and Control Center at The Center for Disease Control, October 2001
3. Betsy Gotbaum testimony at City Council Hearing on Transportation FY 2008