On March 6, 2011, a New York City taxi driver drove into a group of men that had just exited his cab after he refused to drive them to the Bronx. The driver, 27-year-old Mohammed Azam, was arrested at his home and was charged with vehicular assault and leaving the scene of a car accident.
Azam struck two men with his vehicle, critically injuring a 22-year-old. The injured man and his friends hailed a cab early that day after a late night. When they got in the cab and directed the driver to the Bronx, he refused and told them he would only drive them down two blocks.
Azam then drove to a police precinct in the neighborhood where the police told him he was required to drive the men wherever they wished, the Bronx included. It was then that Azam allegedly drove into the group of men as they were standing in the street.
Risks to Pedestrians in NYC
In New York City, walking is practical and common. However, sometimes being a pedestrian in the city can be dangerous. The Tri-State Transportation Campaign recognizes the risks and advocates for pedestrian friendly transportation legislation in the region.
A report released in early February by the Tri-State Transportation Campaign pinpoints the most dangerous areas for pedestrians. A startling 446 pedestrians were killed city-wide between 2007 and 2009. The report highlights the famous Broadway Avenue as being the most deadly street in the city for pedestrian accidents.
Broadway Avenue stretches for 16 miles through Manhattan and into the Bronx and is one of the longest streets in New York City. Between 2007 and 2009, 18 pedestrians were killed along Broadway, with most of the fatalities occurring in Upper Manhattan and in Kingsbridge in the Bronx.
The report ranked Brooklyn as the deadliest borough for pedestrians, followed by Manhattan, Queens, Bronx and lastly, Staten Island. The website CrashStat.org has mapped pedestrian and bicyclist fatalities and injuries that occurred between 1995 and 2005 throughout the city. CrashStat.org highlighted East 33rd Street and Park Avenue as the deadliest intersection in New York City with 156 crashes involving pedestrians.
