"Unlicensed drivers killed nearly 300 pedestrians, cyclists and motorists on city streets between 2021-2024 - and their percentage share of the carnage soared in the aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic, new city data analyzed by Streetsblog shows. The city Department of Transportation tied drivers without licenses to 284 of the 1,059 deaths on the Big Apple's streets in that period - 27 percent of all traffic fatalities over the four-year period."
"The city DOT chalks up the soaring numbers to a compounding set of pandemic-era trends, starting with partial shutdowns of courthouses and many Department of Motor Vehicle services that leave a lingering hangover even today. Most important, the pandemic dramatically altered driving behavior: complaints about drag racing and other dangerous driving soared while at the same time, the streets were flooded with vehicles with fake "ghost" plates, two more trends that are slowly abating, but are ongoing."
Unlicensed drivers caused 284 of 1,059 traffic deaths in New York City between 2021 and 2024, representing 27 percent of fatalities. In 2019, unlicensed or suspended-license drivers caused 35 of 221 fatalities (16 percent), rising to 80 deaths (29 percent) by 2021. The increase in unlicensed-driver fatalities accounted for a sizable portion of the post-pandemic rise in overall traffic deaths. Contributing factors include pandemic-era courthouse and DMV shutdowns, a surge in drag racing and other dangerous driving, and widespread use of fake "ghost" plates. An explosion in high-speed mopeds for grocery and food delivery and a sharp decline in NYPD traffic enforcement further increased roadway risk.
Read at Streetsblog
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