Posted on December 14, 2010 by Frank Dito

First Staten Island Snowfall Brings Danger to Island Roads

Many Staten Island residents woke to a sprinkling of snow on the ground and on their cars this morning. Those in the more northern and western areas of the City received up to 4" of unexpected snowfall. Along with the pretty-looking snow comes the all-too frequent car accidents caused by cars and trucks not being able to stop in time or skiddingand losing control. Many drivers of SUV's or all-wheel drive cars seem to believe that they are able to drive without any change to their normal speed under snow conditions. Unfortunately, this is not true at all and the lesson is usually learned the hard way by SUV drivers.

All-wheel drive will definitely provide you with more traction under slippery conditions, allowing you to pull out from your driveway or start up from a red light but you still will have just 4 wheels on the ground to stop with. Despite all-wheel drive and traction control, its the 4 "contact patches", where the tires meet the road, that help you to stop. Having all-wheel drive does not mean that you have any better braking or steering ability than a similarly equipped 2-wheel drive car. Despite having the most technologically advanced car, nothing will stop your car from skidding if you hit a patch of black ice. In fact, as SUV drivers tend to drive faster, they are more commonly involved in rear-end collisions during snow and/or ice conditions.

As Staten Island seems to be dominated by hulking multi-passenger SUV's that seem to drive too fast when its not raining or snowing, the potential for accidents during the winter driving season is extreme. As we are unable to prevent SUV's from driving in bad weather, except in the most extreme snow-emergencies where the streets are closed, driver's need to change their behavior. Tailgating a slower moving car in a snow storm will only lead to an accident when the car in front slows down. Remember, you will not be abel t stop any quicker. Driving after a snow storm, especially when ice has had the opportunity to melt and re-freeze, may cause you to encounter black ice, which is nearly invisible but very dangerous. If you are driving too quickly, you may not be able to stop or lose control all together, endangering yourself and other drivers and pedestrians on the roads. We cant stop mother nature but we can all do our best to stop reckless winter driving. Lets slow down and enjoy the snow. Better yet, don't drive unless you absolutely have too.

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Posted on February 9, 2010 by Frank Dito

Remove the "Ice Missles" From Your Car Before You Drive

From the storm warnings, its clear that winter is upon us with predictions of 12-18 inches of snow for the Staten Island area. The laws are clear that Staten Island homeowners mustclear the snow from their sidewalks but what about clearing snow from their cars? As of yesterday, how ironic, the New York State Senate Transportation Committee was meeting on a bill that prohibits motor vehicles from being operated with an accumulation of snow or ice on their surfaces. The bill was proposed last April but did not pass and was never presented to the Governor for his signature. Another example of politics at its worst.

The purpose behind the bill is sound: Snow and ice accumulates on top of cars and trucks during winter months and become a road hazard for motorists; especially those driving at high speeds on highways. The blinding snow falling from the top of other cars or trucks can cause damage or accidents to vehicles traveling behind. This legislation would create the responsibility of making sure every vehicle is safe for traveling on the road. I wonder why it hasn't passed or why there hasn't been such a law already enacted?

Since its not a law, it still should be just common courtesy. For those of you that don't have garages, take the time to clean the snow and ice off of the roof of your car before driving. I don't believe that people understand the seriousness of the ice and snow on top of there cars. Just recently, with the blizzard in Washington, D.C. and Virginia, numerous people were seriously injured when sheets of ice fell off the roofs of cars and then crashed into the windshields of drivers following behind. People have been killed from the ice alone crashing through the windshield and serious accidents have been caused by the whiteouts that result when the snow explodes off the top of the car. Please, take the time to clean off the snow and ice - it makes driving in the winter safer for all of us.

 

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Posted on January 11, 2010 by Frank Dito

Staten Island Streets: Accidents Waiting to Happen?

Local residents and the Staten Island Advance have brought to the attention of the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) the existence of a dangerous ice slick at the intersection of Wave and Sands Streets in Stapleton. The ice slick covers almost the entire intersection and, according to residents, has been there for almost two weeks. Although the DEP has been out there on numerous occasions, the ice sheet has not dissipated and appears to be caused by some sort of water main leak. They plan to start excavating tomorrow to repair the leak. DEP has notified the New York City Department of Sanitation of the ice sheet and asked that salt trucks visit the site to spread salt.

Although the weather has been absolutely frigid over the past two weeks, the City still needs to act and to act quickly. I know of too many instances where the City has failed to act quickly in fixing a dangerous situation. The most common is the failure to replace a stop sign that has come down, either because of an accident or some other disaster. When a stop sign is knocked down, you would think that a traffic cop would be stationed at the intersection until an emergency crew from the Department of Transportation could get out there and repair the sign. Unfortunately, it doesn't work that way.

I have many unfortunate clients who were seriously injured because a stop sign was knocked down and not put back up until days later. Even a temporary sign on a portable stand would return traffic control back to the intersection. The great bureaucracy that is the City of New York even manages to avoid liability for not getting the sign back up in time. Many times, EMS workers who were repeatedly called back to the scene of the downed stop sign because other accidents have happened, have managed to temporarily put the stop sign back up until permanent repairs have been made.

Much like the ice sheet in Stapleton, it's clear that it takes the City much too long to the fix dangers Staten Island resident's face daily. The City needs to have a "quick reaction" team ready to attend to these serious dangers at a moments notice, whether its traffic control, the placement of temporary street signs, or even spreading rock salt. The challenge faced by Staten Island drivers from other drivers while commuting to work is enough. We should all expect that the roads are free of hidden dangers. Please drive carefully.

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