Jackson Heights Life

I agree that better enforcement of existing laws would go a very long way towards changing behavior, and would probably get the real offenders off the streets, but more education couldn't hurt either.

For pedestrians... reminding people to stand on the sidewalk (not 20 ft. off the curb) when waiting for the light to change, or reminding them to look both ways when crossing the street (especially if they're jaywalking!), or just general attentiveness when entering traffic... Especially for the adults who take small children with them into the middle of traffic! An intersection near my job recently added a part-time crossing guard. It's amazing how many times I've seen him argue with people (some of them with strollers) about not crossing against the light. The intersection isn't particularly dangerous, and it's not near a school, so I'm not sure that was the best place to put a crossing guard. But I applaud the City's effort.

On the biking side, how about educating people against riding a bike while awkwardly balancing a cell phone (and sometimes a child as well!)...and all without a helmet...on Northern/Roosevelt!

On the driving side, there should be mandatory safe driving courses for drivers. Right now they're optional and help to reduce driver insurance rates, but they should be mandatory. In some countries, drivers are taught to open their car doors with their opposite hand so that they are forced to look at the coming traffic and make sure there aren't any bikers. I've found that this is a good practice and started doing it myself. But alot of people don't know about it.

When you get a license you have to take a test. I studied for mine and took it seriously.

These driving violations are not mysteries.  If you are driving and the line is a solid yellow, you do not all of a sudden decide to make u turn.  You yield to pedestrians.  You stop when a school bus is stopped because it may be picking up or unloading children. And if you don't know what the speed limit is in NYC, you don't deserve to be driving here.

These are not habits, they are violations of the law.  Driving is not a right, it is a privilege and if soemone needs "more education"  they received their license in error.

I think one of the main problems with drivers licenses is that people take driving as a right. By that I mean a license should not necessarily mean you should continue to drive, especially since an automobile or motorcycle can be considered a very dangerous weapon.

Yes, you do have to take a written test and a road test, and in most cases you only have to take those once in your life. This is where I have a problem with driver's licenses. Take a physician's medical license or a nurse's license to practice, they are required to renew these periodically, take continuing education classes each year, and continually prove competency. Why couldn't we have a similar process in place for driver's licenses.

My mother, who is 65+, has a valid driver's license, yet she has not driven in almost 20 years and there is no way I would get in the car if she did decide to drive. Since she last drove, there have been so many more things to consider when driving, e.g., cell phones, bike lanes, speeding cameras, HOV lanes, many many more vehicles on the road, an increase in the size of cars (the SUV phenomena), her slower reaction times, her worsening vision, etc. It maybe more of a burden to citizens, but why not require continuing driving education and driver's tests every few years in order to renew drivers' licenses?

Driving should be treated more like a privilege that is earned, rather than an innate right and then maybe we can then have safer streets.

FYI:

While the light was green my daughter was attempting to cross the street towards P.S. 69Q when a car began to back up on the crosswalk.  I then screamed out and the car with a family in it stopped.

It seemed like the car was parked, but now needed to pull out of the space and needed to reverse on to the crosswalk and then move forward.

In backing up, the driver didn't realize that my daughter was about to cross the street.

Please look both ways, and I mean both ways before crossing.  Not only do you have to watch the cars trying to make a right/left on the crosswalk, but the cars reversing in order to get out of their parking.