Metro

DWM (driving while male) kills pedestrians

This could get you killed: a male driving a taxi in Manhattan making a left turn during the month of November between the hours of 3 p.m. and 9 p.m.

That’s according to a fascinating new study of pedestrian injuries and fatalities on the city’s roads over the last several years.

The report also debunked the common stereotype that female motorists lack the skill and savvy of their male counterparts. Between 2002 and 2006, male drivers caused 80 percent of all crashes that killed or seriously harmed pedestrians.

The findings revealed that late afternoon and early evening were the deadliest times of day for foot traffic.

Roughly 40 percent of pedestrians killed or severely injured were crossing the street between 3 p.m. and 9 p.m.

But crashes between 3 a.m. and 6 a.m. were twice as likely to be deadly.

Time of year played a role in accidents, as well, with fatal or severe pedestrian crashes up 20 percent per month during November and December from 2002 to 2006.

The city Department of Transportation, which conducted the $345,000 study, blamed that trend on a spike in drivers and pedestrians out doing holiday shopping, more alcohol consumption and bad winter road conditions.

Left-hand turns were another killer. Drivers making left turns are three times more likely than those turning right to injure or kill pedestrians.

The DOT attributed that to less visibility and more mental effort when turning left.

Pedestrians also should watch out for taxis and liveries, which accounted for 16 percent of severe pedestrian accidents, even though recent data show they only make up 2 percent of registered vehicles on city streets.

The report — mandated by the City Council — examined data on 7,000 serious accidents involving pedestrians.

It is prompting the city to make a variety of safety improvements, including the installation of 1,500 digital countdown clocks along major streets in all five boroughs. The first 250 will be installed within a month.

“Crossing the street shouldn’t just be a judgment call, and these kinds of countdown signals really help take the guesswork out of getting across our corridors safely,” Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan said during the study’s release at a busy intersection in Queens.

The commissioner said she was surprised to learn that “driver inattention,” due to cellphones and other distractions, caused 36 percent of serious pedestrian wrecks and failure to yield led to 27 percent of the crashes.

She also warned pedestrians that Manhattan had four times as many such accidents per street mile as the outer boroughs, while 43 percent of those killed in Manhattan crashes live outside Manhattan.

The city plans to reconstruct 60 miles of streets and 20 intersections to increase pedestrian safety based on the study and will be implementing a 20 mph zone in a yet-to-be-determined neighborhood.

Caught in the ‘cross’ fire

* Male drivers are responsible for 80% of crashes that kill or seriously injure pedestrians.
* Taxis cause 16% of accidents that kill or seriously injure pedestrians in Manhattan.
* Left-turn crashes are three times more likely than right-turn crashes to kill or seriously injure pedestrians.
* About 40% of crashes that kill or seriously injure pedestrians take place between 3 p.m. and 9 p.m.
* Distractions like texting and talking on cellphones account for almost 36% of accidents that kill or seriously injure pedestrians.
* Four times as many pedestrians are killed or seriously injured in Manhattan than in the outer boroughs.

Source: NYC Dept. of Transportation