Reckless Drivers Can Stay On Road Despite Many Violations: Study

PARK SLOPE, NY — Thousands of reckless drivers have racked up numerous violations for speeding and running red lights but were allowed to remain on the city's streets, a new report found.

A report from Comptroller Scott Stringer found that more than 121,000 drivers received at least five violations from cameras around the city in the past 26 months, with some pulling more than 50 in that time period.

The study comes during a push from local officials to change state laws to crackdown on reckless drivers after Dorothy Bruns, 44, ran a red light in Park Slope and crashed into five pedestrians, killing Abigail Blumenstein, 4, and Joshua Lew, 1.

"If your car has more than 50 violations near a school, or dozens of tickets for running red lights, you shouldn’t be on the road," Stringer said in a statement. "Yet our government is letting it happen. There are gaps in our system that must be fixed, because lives are at stake."

In the past 26-months, 108,950 drivers received between five to 10 violations for speeding in a school zone or running a red light, the report found. The majority of the violations during the time period were issued for speeding in school zones and given to private vehicles.

In that same time, 12,389 drivers got between 11 and 25 violations, 488 between 26 and 50 and 24 got more than 50. Repeat offenders also accounted for about 25 percent of all fines issued by cameras, the report found.

Officials previously said that the violations are tied to license plates so it's impossible to tell who's behind the wheel at the time. Mayor Bill de Blasio recently announced a push for a new law to punish owners of vehicles who repeatedly get fines.

"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 last week. "You have to take responsibility for your own vehicle."

Under the proposed law, fines would increase for vehicles that repeatedly get tickets in a two-year period and eventually suspend their registration if they get six or more.

Nearly 12,901 people would have had their registrations suspended within the last 26 months if the law was in effect, according Stinger's study.

The pushes come after three young children died in crashes so far this year. In January, an unlicensed oil truck driver struck Kevin Flores, 13, while he was riding his bike in Bed-Stuy.

The driver, Philip Monfoletto, was charged with aggravated unlicensed operation of a vehicle.

On March 5, Bruns likely had a seizure when she lost control of her 2016 Volvo S60 and drove into the intersection of Ninth Street and Fifth Avenue, according to police and a law enforcement source. The crash killed the children and injured their mothers Lauren Lew and Ruthie Ann Blumenstein, a Tony-award winning actress.

Bruns' car had 12 violations issued in the past two years by cameras, including four for running red-lights and four for speeding in school zones, police said.

Image: Nicholas Rizzi/Patch