Runners vs Drivers in NYC

When I run in Central Park, I am sometimes stunned by the rude, and often illegal, behavior of the drivers who share the rode with me. Apparently, I am not alone. Transportation Alternatives, with the help of dozens of volunteers, set out to quantify just how often New York City's traffic laws are broken. They sent out scores of observers to a few big intersections and recorded nearly 40 hours of traffic data. This is what they found:

Traffic law violations occurred approximately three times every minute per intersection -- 157 times an hour.
Drivers failed to yield the right of way 24 times an hour.
Drivers disregarded traffic controls, including traffic signals, signs and roadway markings, approximately two times every minute -- over 100 times an hour.
Over 38 hours of surveying, no summonses were issued for moving violations in the survey areas.
57% of pedestrians believed they were endangered by traffic while navigating the survey areas.
43% of pedestrians actually avoid an area or intersection in their neighborhood because they feel endangered by lawless driving.

No wonder I get so annoyed!!