NYC motorists kill more than swine flu virus

Photo via omphale44 of flickr

Twenty-six city schools have been shut down so far due to fear and panic about the swine flu virus. One fatality has been reported-- Matthew Weiner, an assistant principal in Queens.  New York cases total about 300. Eight people nationwide have died.

Meanwhile, vehicular violence injures over 10,000 New Yorkers each year, and kills a citizen roughly every 36 hours. Since the virus was first detected in Queens in late April, a pedestrian was critically injured by a speeding SUV in Manhattan; a 13-year-old was killed by a driver in Flatbush, Brooklyn; nine people were injured in Times Square by a swerving SUV; and a cyclist was critically injured by a van in Midtown.   Nationwide, in 2008, traffic-related fatalities are projected at 37,313--and that number has decreased since 2007.

Comparisons provide a shockingly clear view of where our priorities lay as a nation.

Obama has asked Congress for $1.5 billion in combating swine flu. It is understandable some resources are necessary for addressing this issue with the immediacy that it demands. However, automotive overdominance is arguably a greater threat in terms of injury and fatality, and one that is continuously ignored by those who do, in fact, have the power to stop it.

It is somewhat easier to assign blame concerning the virus: we can't.  Viruses appear to come out of nowhere, and do not present themselves as a problem until it is far too late.  One does not go out seeking to become ill.  One does not purposely or maliciously spread a disease.  Swine flu, in fact, hits hardest the weak, ill, very aged, and very young: the most vulnerable members of our society.

Cyclists and pedestrians represent the most vulnerable in city traffic.  However, when they are injured in collisions, they are bombarded with the responsibility: “I didn't see them.” “They came out of nowhere.” “They shouldn't have been out in the street.” “He was jaywalking.”  Despite the fact that vehicles are required to yield to pedestrians, motorists receive the benefit of the doubt and often go uncharged in cases of vehicular violence.

Victims of swine flu are not blamed for not washing their hands, coughing in the wrong direction. Victims of automobile collisions ought not to be immediately saddled with blame for every accident. 

Never mind that one's chances of survival in a collision drop from 60% to 30% when a vehicle's speed rises from 30 mph to 35 mph. Never mind that Diego Martinez and Hayley Ng were killed by an illegally idling van.  Never mind the fact speeding is, in itself, an epidemic in New York, or that 1 in 3 city motorists are using cellphones, smoking, eating, drinking or grooming while driving. 

Is there the possibility of mutual wrongdoing when an automobile hits a cyclist or pedestrian?  Yes, though studies have shown that in fatal car-on-cyclist collisions, "driver misconduct was thus the principal cause in 57% of the cases and a contributory factor in 78 percent."  Should there be equal punishment?  If both are held responsible, yes, but punishment should be proportional;  injury is punishment enough for poor judgment by a cyclist; as self-preservation is the greatest instinct fueling a cyclist's actions and motorists often walk away injury-free from collisions with a biker.  What about the driver who was going too fast to stop in time?  The driver who was talking on the phone or texting and failed to see the cyclist “come out of nowhere”?   If there is no punishment, no deterrent, they and others will repeat the pattern.

Unless we are proud of the fact that almost a million speeding drivers can't go wrong, these perpetrators, who, unlike the sources and carriers of this virus, CAN be identified, isolated, and dealt with. Traffic fatalities are preventable by fewer cars on the road and safer driving habits by their operators, such as slower speeds and frequent yielding.

We shut down our schools as a means to curb infection, but get rebuffed at the first suggestion of shutting down streets, imposing traffic calming provisions, reducing the sources of the fatalities by reducing the number of cars on the road, and taking away the licenses of those who exercise poor judgment—speeding, inattention to the road, cell phone use and texting, improper signaling, failure to yield--when driving.

We shout “Epidemic! Pandemic!” but at the wrong problem.

The mindset that car culture imposes is virulent.  It perpetuates “size is power” and gives motorists license not just to drive vehicles that harm the environment, but drive them in a manner that is harmful to human beings. The more motorists there are on the roads, the less safe the roads are for smaller vehicles. Just as we all have the right to live free from fear of disease, we all have a right to live free from fear of bullying, reckless, or self-entitled drivers who believe they have more right to the road because they are inside a large metal box on wheels.

We are ignoring a constant threat that is staring us down, and feeding another with fear, funding, and media attention.  I am not saying that we should cut inoculation funding or ignore the victims of the virus; in fact, this is a good opportunity to increase public health by educating our citizens on disease prevention and healthy living. However, automobile fatalities happen every day, in every nook and cranny of our nation. Where is our funding for better public transportation, more (and bigger) bike lanes, where is our justice for those wrongfully killed by motorists? 

Swine flu is exponentially less harmful than seasonal flu, which alone affects 1,000-2,000 people in New York every year. Throw away the masks. Don't overmedicate. Being in confined spaces increases your risk of falling ill of any disease. Wash your hands, eat healthy, take vitamins, and buy a bike. Don't be afraid of the fresh air.  Exercise boosts immunity. Life is a series of risks, and while being in NYC traffic is a greater risk than catching swine flu, there are an estimated 185,000 of us who do it regardless. Join us and find out why. The more people that catch the bicycle bug, the safer we all will be.