What's the Issue?

The New York State DMV records more than 10,000 instances of automobiles striking pedestrians every year in NYC, as well as more than 3,500 automobile/bicycle collisions, and thousands upon thousands of multiple-auto collisions. Of the hundreds killed every year in these crashes, more than 60 percent are pedestrians or cyclists.

The NYPD, however, routinely refuses to properly investigate automobile collisions or release their reports. Instead, without even mobilizing their still woefully small Collision Investigation Squad (except in a very minor number of cases), the police respond by prematurely determining that "no criminality is suspected" – even when a driver has violated multiple traffic codes, such as speeding, illegal turning, driving without a license, and more.

Even in cases where these life-or-death traffic codes were known to be broken, and where a life was destroyed in consequence, the police declare "no criminality suspected" before conducting a criminal investigation. When they do investigate, they regularly bury the reports, never releasing them to the public.

The NYPD's behavior allows reckless drivers to dangerously break laws without any fear of criminal consequences. We wish to change that, and so are recording these living wills, saying:

"If I'm killed in an automobile collision, I want the police to properly investigate the crash before determining the presence or absence criminality, and I want them to release, without delays, the report to my family and the general public."

Post your video with the hashtag #MyLivingStreetWill. Let's get them to change their procedures and start making our streets safer.

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