Urban Planet: “Broken Windows” for Traffic Crimes



“The running joke on blogs like Gothamist and Streetsblog is that if you want to kill somebody in New York and get away with it, a car should be your weapon of choice,” writes Sarah Goodyear at The Atlantic Cities. Pointing to the NYPD’s blindspot when it comes to pedestrian and cyclist safety, Goodyear calls for a “broken windows” campaign for traffic.  In the early 1990s, “broken windows” was the term used to describe the NYPD’s crackdown on petty crimes such as public drinking and squeegeeing which ended up having a significant impact on the occurrence of more serious crimes. Goodyear wonders whether a similar approach to red light running and aggressive driving might save lives.

Image from The Atlantic Cities
