Hamburg / New York – Walking the streets in this city is always an adventure. Now the situation could easily relax: New York City has reduced the top speed from just under 50 to 40 kilometers per hour. In the future, 30 miles per hour (48 kilometers per hour) may only be driven on some major traffic axes. Otherwise only 25 miles per hour are allowed.
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“By getting New York drivers to drive slower, we will prevent accidents, protect New Yorkers from injury and save lives,” said a statement from the traffic administration. According to this, around a quarter of accidents in the city are due to excessive speed. A pedestrian hit by a 40 km / h vehicle has twice as high a chance of survival as someone who collides with a car that is 48 km / h.
The previous speed limit of 30 miles per hour on all roads has been in place since 1964. The new speed limit is part of a plan by Mayor Bill de Blasio to increase road safety. Although the death toll has fallen significantly from 701 in 1990, around 250 people are still killed and around 4,000 more seriously injured on the streets of the largest US city.
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