New York City cab drivers have a global reputation for being a bit unsafe. Faced with the pressures of speed and the tipping system, motoring prudence can sometimes get thrown out the window. So to encourage safety, the city is making cabbies watch this incredibly sad video about the consequences of driving without due care.
A record low of 132 pedestrians were killed in New York last year, though that number is still incredibly high. To lower it, Mayor Bill de Blasio is continuing in his Vizion Zero quest to eliminate all traffic fatalities. Part of that plan has included reducing the overall speed limit to 25 MPH, but lower speed limits aren’t enough.
That’s where this video comes in. It won’t just be shown to cabbies, but to huge swaths of drivers in the city, according to CBS:
The film will be shown to more than 200,000 people who drive for a living – including Metropolitan Transportation Authority bus drivers, city cab drivers, employees of the Department of Transportation and the Department of Citywide Administrative Services, and members of the NYPD and FDNY.
I couldn’t get through the full 15 minutes, though if you drive regularly in any big city, you probably should. Drive like a complete nut, but only when it’s safe.
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