One of the initiative's projects is the installation of signs with the figure of a skeleton and the words, "SLOW DOWN" for cars that drive above the speed limit.
The signs are equipped with radar detectors that register the speed limit of oncoming traffic. LED lights emanate from the signs when cars reach reading distance. The figure of the skeleton is simply a skeletal outline of the well-known crosswalk stick figure.
Mayor Bloomberg compares this unique idea to cigarette warnings found abroad, such as, "Smoking Kills." Whether this scare tactic will work, however, is anyone's guess.
Skeletons have already been used as part of the Dept. of Transportation's "That's Why It's 30" campaign. Found on posters in bus shelters and television announcements, skeletons remind citizens that speeding cars present an increased risk.
Another project in this campaign is to lower the speed limit in Claremont, Bronx to 20 miles per hour. This is a test program because speed limit adjustments usually do not cover an entire neighborhood. Rather, usually only fiddle with individual streets. Claremont is known for its uniquely high incidence of traffic accidents. It is also very residential. Officials hope this pilot program will achieve greater safety in an area where it is especially needed.
The signs are scheduled to be put in place on the heels of a recent study by Transportation for America, which ranked New York low on pedestrian fatality prevention.
If you would like more information about how car accident cases work in the state of New York, I encourage you to explore my educational website. If you have legal questions, I urge you to pick up the phone and call me at 516-487-8207 or by e-mail at lawmed10@yahoo.com to answer your questions. That's what I do every day. I welcome your call.
Gerry practices law exclusively in the State of New York. Within New York he practices primarily in the following counties: New York, Brooklyn, Queens, Bronx, Staten Island, Nassau and Suffolk. Technically, Brooklyn is known as "Kings County," and Manhattan and New York City are known as "New York County." Staten Island is known as "Richmond County." These counties make up the New York metropolitan area.
