TIME'S UP FACT SHEET

TIME'S UP! believes that the City of New York needs to start prioritizing the basic rights of citizens to safely walk or ride on the streets, and address the issues of reckless driving impunities in a real way.

Automobile accidents are the #1 cause of death for ALL Americans, children and adults to age 44. Automobiles kill more Americans every seven years than the total U.S. losses in WWII and Vietnam combined. (Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services)

In NYC -- the nation's only city where drivers are a minority -- an average of 684 car crashes are recorded every day of every week of every year. Over 17,000 pedestrians or cyclists are struck and injured by automobiles every year in NYC, and cars killed 1,190 pedestrians and 121 bicyclists between 1995 and 2001. 91% of injuries to pedestrians and cyclists are caused by cars, followed by trucks at 7%. The number of deaths caused by cars is 76% and 17% caused by trucks. It is also worth noting that buses account for about 1% of injuries but 6% of deaths. (Source: New York City and New York State Departments of Transportation)*

In addition to reckless drivers causing senseless injuries and deaths to pedestrians and cyclists, cars inflict other environmental hazards on innocent people every day. Vehicle emissions and other environmental hazards lead to high rates of asthma, the leading cause of hospitalization among children from 0 to 14 years of age. Approximately 300,000 of New York City's children under age 17 are diagnosed with asthma at some point in their lives, and asthma is the leading cause of school absenteeism. Among adults, 40% of New Yorkers with asthma sought emergency care for their asthma in 2002. (Source: NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene) Oil from vehicles washes into our waterways, which kills aquatic wildlife and disrupts aquatic ecosystems. Vehicle emissions also lead to acid rain, which destroys our public monuments and numerous historic buildings. Cars cause excessive noise and are an unsightly part of the urban environment. (Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency)

Unlike other environmental hazards, stepping into the streets of NYC and being hit by a car affects everyone. As noted by Charles Komanoff, a traffic policy consultant with Komanoff Energy Associates, "Motor vehicles threaten people in every neighborhood, regardless of race and class."

TIME'S UP! is community-based, all-volunteer non-profit environmental education and direct action organization that has been working for close to two decades in New York City. The group hosts hundreds of free events and educational workshops annually from community garden clean-ups and film screenings to bicycle repair workshops and group bike rides. TIME'S UP! is working to promote a safer, quieter, friendlier, and more environmentally sustainable city.

________________________________________________________________

* Automobile accident figures based on verified (more than one source) statistics compiled from 1994 to 2001 and unverified figures (single source) from 2002 to 2004 inclusive.

###