Mayor Pushes For Reckless Driving Crackdown After 2 Kids Killed

PARK SLOPE, NY — The mayor called for new state laws to crack down on reckless drivers getting behind the wheel after a Park Slope crash killed two young children and injured their mothers last week.

The laws would increase penalties for repeat offenders caught at red-light and speed cameras and require doctors to notify the DMV if a driver has a medical condition that could cause them to lose control of their car.

"These are the kinds of measures that could've averted the tragedy that happened in our community," de Blasio said at a press conference in the 78 Precinct on Thursday.

"We can't accept a reality where it is normal for someone to kill a pedestrian with their vehicle. We just can't let that be anything we regard as normal in our community."

The laws are similar to several introduced by a group of local state elected officials last week. The mayor said he would work with them to get them through or write a new bill that fits his proposed changes.

De Blasio also announced he would push the state legislature to pass a bill that would double the number of speed cameras placed near schools around the city and increase the radius for where they can be installed.

The push comes a week after Dorothy Bruns, 44, ran a red light at the intersection of Ninth Street and Fifth Avenue and slammed into five pedestrians.

The crash killed Abigail Blumenstein, 4, and Joshua Lew, 1. It also injured their mothers — Ruthie Ann Blumenstein and Lauren Lew — and a 46-year-old man.

Bruns, of Staten Island, reportedly had a history of seizures and heart conditions. A law enforcement source said she likely had a seizure before the crash.

She was taken to the hospital after the crash, but later released, and had her license suspended. Police officials said an investigation is ongoing but Bruns has not been charged.

De Blasio plans to push for a new law, similar to one in New Jersey, that requires doctors to notify the DMV if a driver has a medical condition that would cause them to lose control of their vehicle. It would give the power to the DMV to take their license away.

"Someone in that situation should not be driving a car," said de Blasio. "Right now there's nothing truly stopping them in New York State."

The other law would increase the number of fines given to license plates that repeatedly get speed and red-light violations by cameras. It would eventually suspend their vehicle registration if they get six or more within two years.

The 2016 Volvo S60 Bruns drove during the fatal crash had 12 violations issued in the past two years, including four for running red-light and four for speeding in school zones, police said. Officials previously said that they were issued to the license plate and it's impossible to tell who was driving at the time.

"You shouldn't be able to hide behind the fact that a car is registered to you but maybe someone else was driving," de Blasio said. "You have to take responsibility for your own vehicle."

Aside from the law, Department of Transportation Commissioner Polly Trottenberg said her agency was working on implementing measures to make the intersection safer — like protected bike lanes and pedestrian islands — and hopes to have a plan to present to the community board by the end of the month.

Image: Nicholas Rizzi/Patch