Department of Transportation (DOT) officials re-launched a campaign to combat reckless driving at Yankee Stadium this week.
“Speeding Ruins Lives, Slow Down” is a $4 million multi-platform, multilingual Vision Zero ad campaign that warns drivers about dangerous behaviors, like speeding. According to DOT, auto accidents have occurred at higher rates since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Ads will appear at both Yankee Stadium and Citi Field, as well as other media channels, billboards, bus stops, LinkNYC kiosks, and gas station pumps.
“Over the next few months, these important ads will allow New Yorkers to see for themselves the horrible aftermath of driving too fast,” DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez said in the announcement.
Part of the campaign’s focus is reaching “harder-to-reach” demographics. Those include men specifically, who according to DOT are 37% more likely than women to get into serious car accidents.
Motorists have been known to speed in the Bronx.
Bruckner Boulevard, Tremont Avenue see greatest impact from 24/7 speed camera enforcement
In 2022, an initiative to expand speed cameras throughout the city resulted in more than 435,000 violations in the Bronx from just August through late December of that year — the total amount charged a staggering $21.7 million. The Bronx was third in total violations count during that time period, following Queens (more than 1 million violations; $53 million) and Brooklyn (more than 949,000 violations; $47 million).
Not only that, the Bronx is home to some of the most dangerous roadways. Those include sections of the Bronx River Parkway — nicknamed the “Bermuda Triangle” of the expressway — as well as East 138th Street, which was New York City’s deadliest roadway for motorists, pedestrians, and cyclists from 2014-2023.
“This campaign is unprecedented in the extent of its outreach, directly reaching tens of thousands of sports fans, appearing in more communities, covering more community and ethnic media, and speaking to New Yorkers in 13 different languages,” Rodriguez said. “We thank the mayor for his support and leadership as we use all the tools in the toolbox to reduce traffic violence in New York city and the region.”
Reach Camille Botello at cbotello@schnepsmedia.com. For more coverage, follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @bronxtimes
