This page shows side‑by‑side drafts generated using the modular reporter prompts.

Source summary: tmp/experiments_runs/reporter-default-v-checklist-b1/summary.json

Variant Summary (averages)

VariantAvg Score (1–10)Poignancy PassAvg Cost
default6.33/3 (100%)$0.07
default_checklist6.73/3 (100%)$0.07

Detailed Runs

GeoVariantTitleWordsQuotesLinksUnmatched DomainsAuto PassPoignancyEditor Score (1–10)Cost
citywide-nycdefaultNew York City: 30 a.m. at 155th and South Conduit464000❌✅6.0$0.07
citywide-nycdefault_checklistNew York City: 02 a.m.494000❌✅6.0$0.06
council-39defaultDistrict 39: 02 a.m.553000❌✅5.0$0.07
council-39default_checklistDistrict 39: 02 a.m. A woman is dead.613000❌✅7.0$0.07
senate-23defaultSD 23: 12 p.m.: a K‑turn and a man dies595000❌✅8.0$0.07
senate-23default_checklistSD 23: 12 p.m.: a rider hits a door and does not get up513000❌✅7.0$0.07

default

New York City: 30 a.m. at 155th and South Conduit

Just before 2:30 a.m. at 155th Street and South Conduit Avenue in Queens, a driver hit a 52‑year‑old man and fled. Police said he died at Jamaica Hospital. Gothamist.

He was one of 182 people killed on New York City streets since January 1, 2022. City data also shows 32,764 injuries, 491 of them serious, across 52,671 crashes. NYC Open Data.

Queens South alone counted 17 traffic deaths this year through Aug. 10. Gothamist.

The pattern does not break

On Aug. 12 in Astoria, a car struck two men at a food cart. Three people died. amNY CBS New York.

On Aug. 11 on the Bronx River Parkway, two moped riders were killed in a multi‑vehicle crash. NYC Open Data.

On Aug. 9 at Ocean Parkway and Avenue C, an SUV merging south hit a 45‑year‑old woman. She died. NYC Open Data.

Streets that feed the sorrow

In Queens, a wrong‑way driver took to the Clearview Expressway and smashed into cars. A judge gave him eight years. “Joseph Lee terrorized other drivers,” the Queens DA said. amNY.

Near JFK, detectives are still working the hit‑and‑run. The driver left a man dying in the road at 2:30 a.m. Gothamist.

Power used, power wasted

City Hall had the power to make McGuinness Boulevard safer. Prosecutors now say a mayoral adviser meddled in that redesign while taking favors, on a corridor where a teacher was killed in 2021. The adviser has pleaded not guilty. Gothamist Gothamist.

The city also has tools it is not using fast enough. Albany passed Sammy’s Law, giving NYC authority to set lower speed limits. Speed cameras run around the clock through 2030. A bill in Albany would force repeat speeders to use speed limiters. These are levers that stop cars from killing. /take_action/.

Make it stop

  • Lower the default speed limit citywide to 20 mph under Sammy’s Law.
  • Pass the Stop Super Speeders Act to install intelligent speed assistance on cars that rack up violations.

Call your Council Member, the Mayor, and your state reps. The tools exist. Use them. /take_action/.

FAQ

  • Q: What happened near JFK on Aug. 13, 2025? A: Police said a driver struck a 52‑year‑old man at 155th Street and South Conduit Avenue around 2:30 a.m. and fled. The man was taken to Jamaica Hospital and pronounced dead. Gothamist.
  • Q: How many people has traffic violence killed in NYC since 2022? A: From Jan. 1, 2022, through Aug. 26, 2025, NYC recorded 182 traffic deaths, with 32,764 injuries and 491 serious injuries across 52,671 crashes. NYC Open Data.
  • Q: Are there recent examples that show the pattern? A: Yes. Two men were killed at a Queens food cart on Aug. 12, 2025, in a crash that also killed the driver, according to amNY and CBS New York. Two moped riders died on the Bronx River Parkway on Aug. 11, 2025, per NYC Open Data.
  • Q: How were these numbers calculated? A: We used NYC’s Motor Vehicle Collisions datasets for Crashes, Persons, and Vehicles, filtered to 2022‑01‑01 through 2025‑08‑26, citywide. Deaths are rows in the Persons dataset where es=‘Apparent Death’. Example reproducible query: Persons count of deaths — https://data.cityofnewyork.us/resource/f55k-p6yu.json?$select=count(1)&$where=es=%27Apparent%20Death%27%20AND%20crash_date%20between%20%272022-01-01T00:00:00%27%20and%20%272025-08-26T23:59:59%27. Crash totals come from the Crashes dataset with the same date filter — https://data.cityofnewyork.us/resource/h9gi-nx95.json?$select=count(1)&$where=crash_date%20between%20%272022-01-01T00:00:00%27%20and%20%272025-08-26T23:59:59%27. Data accessed Aug. 26, 2025.
  • Q: What is CrashCount? A: We’re a tool for helping hold local politicians and other actors accountable for their failure to protect you when you’re walking or cycling in NYC. We update our site constantly to provide you with up to date information on what’s happening in your neighborhood.
  • Q: What policies can stop repeat harm now? A: NYC can lower speed limits under Sammy’s Law and Albany can pass the Stop Super Speeders Act to require intelligent speed assistance for habitual violators. Learn more and take action at /take_action/.
  • Q: Did officials interfere with a street safety plan? A: Prosecutors allege a former mayoral adviser meddled in the McGuinness Boulevard redesign while taking favors; the adviser pleaded not guilty. Gothamist Gothamist.

Citations

Geo: citywide-nyc

Editor Evaluation

  • Overall score: 6
  • Poignancy: ✅ — Spare and unsparing; the 2:30 AM detail and location deliver impact without melodrama. Could include one human detail from sourced reporting to deepen the punch.
  • Persuasiveness: ✅ — Strong policy asks and tight sections; clear emphasis on lower speeds and ISA for repeat speeders. Advocacy is present and pointed, but some claims (citywide counts, borough sub-counts) may be too narrow or potentially inaccurate, which ca…
  • Interest: ✅ — Lean, punchy prose with vivid, concrete incidents and crisp subheads. Momentum holds, with varied recent cases anchoring urgency.
  • Writing quality: ✅ — Clear, muscular sentences; good cadence; inline links and bolding used sparingly. Minor risk of redundancy in policy section and closing CTA duplication.
  • Trustworthiness: ❌ — Multiple risks: the 182 deaths/32,764 injuries/52,671 crashes figures for 2022–2025 look implausibly low for NYC and may reflect mis-filtering; the Bronx River Parkway and Ocean Parkway fatal specifics are attributed to Open Data without d…
  • Recommendations:
    • Force strict, reproducible data pulls in the prompt: require explicit Socrata queries (with URLs) for every citywide count and forbid rounded totals unless shown by the dataset; instruct the model to include a small “How we calculated this…
    • Constrain quotes: only include direct quotes that appear verbatim in the provided sources, with speaker name, title, and link; if fewer than three verifiable quotes exist, include zero quotes and proceed without paraphrase or scare quotes.
    • Add a policy-proofing step: require that any policy statement (e.g., Sammy’s Law authority, 24/7 speed cameras, ISA bills) must be backed by a citation already present in the context; otherwise, rephrase as a needs statement without factua…

default_checklist

New York City: 02 a.m.

Just after 1:02 a.m. at Ocean Parkway and Avenue C, a 45‑year‑old woman was struck and killed by a southbound SUV that was merging, police data shows (NYC Open Data).

She was one of 182 people killed on New York City streets in the period we track (NYC Open Data).

The pattern does not let up

Speed and mass do the damage. In this span, SUVs alone are tied to at least 41 pedestrian deaths and 1,802 pedestrian injuries in city data (NYC Open Data). The toll is steady and wide: 32,764 people injured, 491 seriously, across 52,671 crashes (NYC Open Data).

Queens shows the same ache. A driver hit a 52‑year‑old man near JFK at 2:30 a.m. and fled, detectives said (Gothamist). The next day, two men buying food in Astoria were killed when a car slammed into a truck; the driver also died (CBS New York; amNY). “I have never seen anything like this,” a witness said (amNY).

When policy bends, bodies break

On McGuinness Boulevard, prosecutors say a former top City Hall adviser meddled in a redesign that would have added protected bike lanes, part of an alleged bribery scheme now in court filings (Gothamist; Gothamist). The corridor is known for deadly crashes; advocates warned for years. The record shows power leaned on safety plans. Riders and walkers took the hit.

Violence on the highway, too

A Queens driver went the wrong way on the Clearview Expressway and hit five cars. “Joseph Lee terrorized other drivers,” Queens DA Melinda Katz said. He told police, “I entered the Clearview Expressway in the wrong direction because I wanted to hurt people” (amNY). Two motorists were badly hurt and still have not fully recovered, the DA said (amNY).

What will stop the next one?

The city now has the power to set safer speeds. Albany passed Sammy’s Law. New York can lower the default residential limit to 20 mph. It hasn’t done it yet (Take Action).

The worst repeat speeders keep racking up tickets and harm. The Stop Super Speeders Act would require speed limiters for drivers with repeated violations. Lawmakers can pass it. Families can be spared (Take Action).

Act now. Slow the cars. Stop the killing.

FAQ

  • Q: What is CrashCount? A: We’re a tool for helping hold local politicians and other actors accountable for their failure to protect you when you’re walking or cycling in NYC. We update our site constantly to provide you with up to date information on what’s happening in your neighborhood.
  • Q: How many people were killed on NYC streets in this period? A: City data show 182 people killed on NYC streets between Jan 1, 2022 and Aug 26, 2025. Source: NYC Open Data Motor Vehicle Collisions.
  • Q: Where did the Ocean Parkway death come from? A: From NYC Open Data’s Motor Vehicle Collisions dataset (CrashID 4833650). The record lists a 45-year-old pedestrian killed at Ocean Parkway and Avenue C at 1:02 a.m. by a southbound SUV that was merging.
  • Q: How were these numbers calculated? A: We used NYC’s Motor Vehicle Collisions datasets (Crashes: h9gi-nx95; Persons: f55k-p6yu; Vehicles: bm4k-52h4). We filtered for crash_date between 2022-01-01 and 2025-08-26 across all NYC and summed number_of_persons_killed. Extracted Aug 26, 2025. Reproduce it here: https://data.cityofnewyork.us/resource/h9gi-nx95.json?$select=sum(number_of_persons_killed)&$where=crash_date%20between%20'2022-01-01T00:00:00'%20and%20'2025-08-26T23:59:59'.
  • Q: What can stop repeat speeders and high-speed crashes? A: Two steps are on the table now: 1) Use Sammy’s Law to set NYC’s default residential speed limit at 20 mph. 2) Pass the Stop Super Speeders Act to require speed limiters for drivers with repeated violations. See how to act here: /take_action/.

Citations

Geo: citywide-nyc

Editor Evaluation

  • Overall score: 6
  • Poignancy: ✅ — Spare, unsentimental, concrete. Avoids melodrama. Ends with urgent but restrained call to action.
  • Persuasiveness: ✅ — Clear advocacy for lower speeds and speed limiters; connects incidents to policy asks. Persuasive but could localize Ocean Parkway impacts more and foreground vulnerable users earlier.
  • Interest: ✅ — Strong, spare lead; varied incidents maintain momentum. Could trim one highway anecdote or tie it tighter to vulnerable users to keep focus.
  • Writing quality: ✅ — Style mostly hews to brief, muscular lines. Occasional abstract phrasing and minor repetition; subheads are punchy and original.
  • Trustworthiness: ❌ — Multiple red flags: specific Ocean Parkway crash details (age, direction, “merging,” CrashID) are not supported by an in-article citation to a specific record; the dataset link is generic. Several aggregate figures (SUV-linked pedestrian d…
  • Recommendations:
    • Force the model to include reproducible queries or record-level links for every statistic and specific crash detail mentioned (e.g., add query URLs for SUV-involved pedestrian deaths/injuries; direct link to the exact crash record ID).
    • Constrain quotes: “Include only quotes that appear verbatim in the provided sources and add the exact anchor link to the location of the quote; if not present, omit quotes.”
    • Narrow scope to vulnerable road users: “At least 70% of body copy must center pedestrians/cyclists, and every non‑VRU incident must explicitly tie back to risks for VRUs or be excluded.”

default

District 39: 02 a.m.

Just after 1:00 a.m. at Ocean Parkway and Avenue C, a 45-year-old woman was struck by an SUV and killed. Police logged the crash at 1:02 a.m. on August 9, 2025. NYC Open Data

She was one of 4 people killed in Council District 39 since January 1, 2022, with 589 injured. NYC Open Data

“This action seeks to ensure the NYPD finally follows the law as it has been written for years, and stops unlawfully detaining and prosecuting cyclists when they’ve done nothing wrong.” Attorney Mariann Wang said that about ongoing harms to people who bike. Streetsblog NYC

Where it keeps breaking

The district’s worst injuries cluster on the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway and Ocean Parkway. The BQE logged 45 injuries and one death; Ocean Parkway logged 17 injuries and one death. NYC Open Data

Nights are bloody. The midnight hour alone saw 45 injuries and two serious injuries. Deaths hit at 1 a.m., 8 a.m., 11 a.m., and 3 p.m. NYC Open Data

SUVs are doing the most harm to people on foot here: 43 pedestrian injuries, including 1 death and 1 serious injury. Trucks and buses add more. NYC Open Data

What the record shows

Since 2022, crashes here have injured 589 people and killed 4. Contributing factors skew vague in the logs, but “disregarded traffic control,” “inattention/distraction,” and “failure to yield” are all present. NYC Open Data

A 71-year-old cyclist died on Center Drive in Prospect Park on June 5, 2025. The state file records “lost consciousness.” NYC Open Data

Another life ended on the BQE on January 13, 2025, in an SUV collision. The driver died. NYC Open Data

Who’s responsible, and what they’ve done

Council Member Shahana K. Hanif sponsored a bill to force curb extensions at the city’s most dangerous intersections. Int 0285-2024 She also co-sponsored a daylighting bill to clear 20 feet at corners and harden 1,000 intersections a year. Int 1138-2024

Hanif joined calls for universal daylighting with hardened barriers. Streetsblog NYC

At the state level, lawmakers rallied for the Stop Super Speeders bill to force repeat speeders to use speed limiters. Brooklyn Paper

What needs to happen on these streets

  • Daylight and harden the corners around Ocean Parkway, the BQE ramps, and other repeat sites. Hanif’s bills aim at exactly that. Int 0285-2024 Int 1138-2024
  • Install physical curb extensions and hardened turns at top-injury locations to slow turning traffic and reveal people in the crosswalk. Streetsblog NYC
  • Stop repeat speeders with mandatory limiters. Albany has the bill. Brooklyn Paper

The next move

Lower speeds and clear the corners. End the worst repeat speeding. The tools exist. Tell City Hall and Albany to use them. /take_action/

FAQ

  • Q: How were these numbers calculated? A: We used NYC Open Data’s Motor Vehicle Collisions datasets for Crashes, Persons, and Vehicles, filtered to crashes between 2022-01-01 and 2025-08-26 within Council District 39. We counted people killed and injured by mode and summarized locations and hours. Data was accessed on 2025-08-26. Reproduce using the base datasets and apply the same date window and a Council District 39 spatial filter: Crashes (https://data.cityofnewyork.us/Public-Safety/Motor-Vehicle-Collisions-Crashes/h9gi-nx95), Persons (https://data.cityofnewyork.us/Public-Safety/Motor-Vehicle-Collisions-Person/f55k-p6yu), Vehicles (https://data.cityofnewyork.us/Public-Safety/Motor-Vehicle-Collisions-Vehicles/bm4k-52h4).
  • Q: Which locations are the worst? A: Within this district, the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway shows 45 injuries and 1 death; Ocean Parkway shows 17 injuries and 1 death. These are the top-listed locations in our local rollup from NYC Open Data (Crashes dataset).
  • Q: What times are most dangerous? A: Injuries peak around midnight (45 injuries, 2 serious). Deaths occurred at 1 a.m., 8 a.m., 11 a.m., and 3 p.m. (hourly distribution from the Persons dataset).
  • Q: Who represents this area? A: Council District 39’s Council Member is Shahana K. Hanif. State representatives overlapping the district include Assembly Member Robert Carroll (AD 44) and State Senator Steve Chan (SD 17), according to the provided district lookup.
  • Q: What is CrashCount? A: We’re a tool for helping hold local politicians and other actors accountable for their failure to protect you when you’re walking or cycling in NYC. We update our site constantly to provide you with up to date information on what’s happening in your neighborhood.

Citations

Geo: council-39

Editor Evaluation

  • Overall score: 5
  • Poignancy: ✅ — Spare tone with urgency; avoids melodrama. Could land harder with one concrete, sourced human detail instead of broad stats.
  • Persuasiveness: ✅ — Clear advocacy via concrete fixes and local data; strong call to action. Could better tie data to specific human stakes without overreaching.
  • Interest: ✅ — Compelling opener and crisp subheads. Some repetition and limited narrative detail; could add one precise human detail from data if available.
  • Writing quality: ✅ — Mostly spare and direct. Occasional abstract phrasing and minor redundancy. Subheads meet guidance.
  • Trustworthiness: ❌ — Major risks: The lede cites a specific Aug 9, 2025 fatal crash not within the covered period and likely not supported in provided context; date appears outside allowed range and unverifiable. The Mariann Wang quote is linked to Streetsblog…
  • Recommendations:
    • Constrain the prompt to only allow events, times, and counts explicitly included in the provided Context JSON (e.g., small_geo_analysis). Require the model to list the exact context fields used after the body for internal validation and to…
    • Add a rule: For every number or quote in the body, include an inline link to a citation and add a matching deep reference in citations.links with the exact filter or record ID used (e.g., crash_id, intersection label, hour bin). If not ava…
    • Require a localized human detail only if present in context (e.g., age, mode, exact intersection from timeline). Ban specific datestamps or identities unless explicitly present. Provide a fallback template that stays at district-level patt…

default_checklist

District 39: 02 a.m. A woman is dead.

Just after 1:00 a.m. at Avenue C and Ocean Parkway, a 45‑year‑old woman was struck by a southbound SUV and died at the scene (NYC Open Data – CrashID 4833650).

She was one of 4 people killed in District 39 since January 1, 2022. Another 589 were injured in 1,003 crashes in the same span (NYC Open Data).

Where the street bites

Ocean Parkway is a repeat hotspot. It accounts for a death and dozens of injuries in this district’s records (NYC Open Data). The Brooklyn‑Queens Expressway does too, with the heaviest toll of injuries and deaths among listed locations (NYC Open Data). Center Drive in Prospect Park and a fatal crash near 319 Ditmas Ave mark the map as well.

Nights run red. The hour after midnight shows a peak of injuries. Evenings do too. The clock tells the truth about risk here (NYC Open Data).

Who gets hit and what hits them

People on foot suffered at least one death and 94 injuries; people on bikes at least one death and 105 injuries. Car and SUV occupants made up most of the injured and two of the dead (NYC Open Data). SUVs and cars are involved most often when walkers are hurt, with trucks and buses present too (NYC Open Data).

The district’s contributing factors list is blunt: “distraction,” “failure to yield,” and “disregarded signal” appear across cases, alongside alcohol and other driver errors (NYC Open Data).

Promises on paper, pain on pavement

On Fourth Avenue, officials had to be pushed after DOT erased bike protection during construction, leaving people exposed; the agency was called out for it by local leaders, including Council Member Shahana Hanif (Streetsblog NYC). Hanif is the prime sponsor of a bill to force curb extensions at intersections with the most pedestrian crashes (Int 0285-2024). She also co‑sponsors a bill to ban parking within 20 feet of crosswalks and build daylighting at scale (Int 1138-2024).

Advocates and lawmakers, Hanif among them, stood at Borough Hall after a driver with a long camera‑ticket record killed a mother and her two daughters. They demanded Albany require speed‑limiter tech for repeat violators, the Stop Super Speeders Act (Brooklyn Paper).

What would make this stop

  • Harden corners and add curb extensions at the worst sites: Ocean Parkway and along the BQE frontage roads. The tools are in the Hanif bill (Int 0285-2024).
  • Daylight crosswalks so drivers can see people before it is too late. The Council bill to scale this up exists (Int 1138-2024).
  • Go after the small set of drivers who rack up tickets and keep speeding. The Stop Super Speeders Act would fit cars with intelligent speed assistance and cap speeders before they kill again (Brooklyn Paper).

Lower the speed. Save a life.

Citywide, the path is clear: slower default speeds and hard limits on repeat speeders. Albany has moved speed cameras to 24/7; now the City Council and Mayor must use the power they have and press Albany to finish the job. Our district’s numbers leave no room for delay.

Take one step now. Tell your leaders to act: /take_action/.

FAQ

  • Q: What area does this story cover? A: New York City Council District 39, which includes parts of Carroll Gardens–Cobble Hill–Gowanus–Red Hook, Park Slope, Windsor Terrace–South Slope, Kensington, Prospect Park, Brooklyn CB55, and Brooklyn CB6.
  • Q: How many crashes and casualties were there? A: From January 1, 2022 through August 26, 2025, District 39 recorded 1,003 crashes, with 589 people injured and 4 killed, according to NYC Open Data.
  • Q: Where are the worst spots? A: Ocean Parkway and the Brooklyn‑Queens Expressway appear most often among severe outcomes in this period. Center Drive in Prospect Park and a site near 319 Ditmas Ave also register fatalities.
  • Q: How were these numbers calculated? A: We analyzed NYC Open Data’s Motor Vehicle Collisions datasets for Crashes, Persons, and Vehicles, filtered to January 1, 2022–August 26, 2025 and to incidents within Council District 39. We counted total crashes, injuries, and deaths, and reviewed listed contributing factors and locations. Data were extracted August 25–26, 2025. Datasets: Crashes, Persons, Vehicles.
  • Q: What is CrashCount? A: We’re a tool for helping hold local politicians and other actors accountable for their failure to protect you when you’re walking or cycling in NYC. We update our site constantly to provide you with up to date information on what’s happening in your neighborhood.

Citations

  • Motor Vehicle Collisions – Crashes - Crashes dataset , NYC Open Data, Accessed 2025-08-26
  • Motor Vehicle Collisions – Person - Persons dataset , NYC Open Data, Accessed 2025-08-26
  • Motor Vehicle Collisions – Vehicles - Vehicles dataset , NYC Open Data, Accessed 2025-08-26
  • NYC Council Legislation – Int 0285-2024 and Int 1138-2024 - Legistar , NYC Council – Legistar, Published 2024-02-28
  • DOT Continues to Ignore Dangers it Created on Brooklyn’s Fourth Ave - Streetsblog coverage , Streetsblog NYC, Published 2023-09-18
  • ‘Enough is enough’: Street safety advocates demand passage of ‘Stop Super Speeders’ bill after tragic Gravesend crash - Brooklyn Paper coverage , Brooklyn Paper, Published 2025-04-01

Geo: council-39

Editor Evaluation

  • Overall score: 7
  • Poignancy: ✅ — Human impact is restrained and pointed. Avoids melodrama. A few metaphors (“run red”) edge into flourish but remain controlled.
  • Persuasiveness: ✅ — Advocacy is clear with concrete fixes (daylighting, curb extensions, ISA) and a firm CTA. Local hotspots and peak hours support urgency.
  • Interest: ✅ — Strong lede and sharp subheads keep pace. Nighttime spike and specific locations add stakes.
  • Writing quality: ✅ — Voice is spare and direct, mostly vivid. Minimal adjectives, short sentences, clear flow. A few lines verge on editorial (“Nights run red”).
  • Trustworthiness: ❌ — Several issues: 1) Specific fatal crash at 1:02 AM cites only the general crashes dataset without a direct, filterable link or corroboration for age, vehicle type, and exact time/location. 2) Claims that BQE has “heaviest toll” and that Oc…
  • Recommendations:
    • Require all incident-specific details (time, exact intersection, victim age, vehicle type) to be pulled from and linked to a specific record ID view or official source; if unavailable in context, omit the detail.
    • Mandate quantified hotspot statements: include explicit counts per corridor/intersection (e.g., ‘Ocean Parkway: 1 death, 28 injuries’) with inline links; ban vague superlatives unless numerically supported.
    • Constrain policy descriptions to cited primary sources; if using secondary coverage, summarize minimally and attribute precisely. Add citations for any statewide changes (e.g., 24/7 cameras) or remove the claim.

default

SD 23: 12 p.m.: a K‑turn and a man dies

Just after 3 p.m. on July 5 in Clifton, a motorcycle struck the driver-side door of a Toyota making a K‑turn on Bay Street. The rider, 34‑year‑old Jeremy Claudio, died at the hospital, police told amNY.

Five people have been killed and 1,259 injured in 2,057 crashes in Senate District 23 since 2022, according to city data (NYC Open Data). In the last 12 months, the toll is the same: 2,057 crashes, five dead, 1,259 hurt (NYC Open Data). The tempo does not let up.

Late nights, left turns, and bodies on Hylan

Around 1 a.m. on August 5 in Port Richmond, a 13‑year‑old on a moped collided with an eastbound MTA bus at Castleton and Park. He was ejected and suffered a severe head injury, reporters wrote at ABC7 and amNY.

On March 7 at Hylan Boulevard and Benton Avenue, a woman driving an SUV struck an 80‑year‑old man at the intersection. He died of head trauma, the city’s crash file shows (NYC Open Data).

On June 3 in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, an MTA bus made a left and hit an 87‑year‑old man near East 12th Street and Avenue Z. He was pinned under the bus and taken to the hospital in critical condition, per Gothamist.

Hylan’s bus lane confusion

Drivers keep turning from the middle lane on Hylan. Borough President Vito Fossella said the corridor saw “one accident every four days” tied to unclear signs. “That’s one accident every four days where somebody perhaps unwittingly thinks they must turn from the middle lane,” he told amNY. The report counted 32 such crashes this year.

The pattern is simple. Mixed messages. Fast turns. People on foot and bikes lose.

Who holds the line?

Your senator is Jessica Scarcella‑Spanton. Records show she voted no on renewing the city’s 24/7 school‑zone speed cameras, joining two other city senators who opposed it, according to Streetsblog NYC. She also backed a bill to exempt NYPD from congestion tolls, a move watchdogs called a $22 million handout (Streetsblog NYC).

She did vote yes in committee on a speed‑limiter bill that targets repeat dangerous drivers (Open States: S 4045). Your Assembly Member is Sam Pirozzolo; he voted no on the speed‑camera program in the Assembly, per Streetsblog NYC. Your Council Member is Kamillah Hanks.

These are the names. This is the record.

The tools on the table

City law now allows a lower default speed limit. Advocates call for 20 mph. They also push Albany to require intelligent speed assistance for repeat offenders. The Senate bill is S 4045. Our own brief shows how a tiny pool of drivers does outsized harm, and why slowing every street saves lives — see our Take Action page for sources and scripts.

No sermon. Just the next step: use the power you have. Call, write, and don’t let up. Start here: Take Action.

FAQ

  • Q: How were these numbers calculated? A: We used NYC Open Data’s Motor Vehicle Collisions datasets for crashes, persons, and vehicles, filtered to Senate District 23 and the period 2022‑01‑01 through 2025‑08‑26. We counted total crashes, people killed, and people injured from the Persons table, and cross‑checked records by CrashID. Data was accessed August 26, 2025. Reproduce our pull starting from the Crashes table here: https://data.cityofnewyork.us/Public-Safety/Motor-Vehicle-Collisions-Crashes/h9gi-nx95
  • Q: Who represents this area? A: Senate District 23 includes parts of Staten Island and Brooklyn. The local officials listed in our data are Senator Jessica Scarcella‑Spanton, Council Member Kamillah Hanks (District 49), and Assembly Member Sam Pirozzolo (AD 63).
  • Q: What recent crashes are in the record? A: They include the July 5, 2025 death of motorcyclist Jeremy Claudio on Bay Street (amNY); the March 7, 2025 fatal strike of an 80‑year‑old at Hylan Blvd and Benton Ave (NYC Open Data); and the August 5, 2025 Port Richmond moped‑bus collision that critically injured a 13‑year‑old (ABC7, amNY).
  • Q: What policies could change the pattern? A: Lowering the city’s default speed limit and passing the state’s speed‑limiter bill for repeat dangerous drivers. The Senate bill is S 4045 (Open States). See our scripts and sources at Take Action.
  • Q: What is CrashCount? A: We’re a tool for helping hold local politicians and other actors accountable for their failure to protect you when you’re walking or cycling in NYC. We update our site constantly to provide you with up to date information on what’s happening in your neighborhood.

Citations

Geo: senate-23

Editor Evaluation

  • Overall score: 8
  • Poignancy: ✅ — Spare, unsentimental, with concrete details and no melodrama. Lands with hard hope via CTA.
  • Persuasiveness: ✅ — Clear local harms, names officials, and ends with concrete fixes (lower default speed, ISA). Advocacy is present but restrained. Could better center pedestrians/cyclists in the lede and connect stats to them specifically.
  • Interest: ✅ — Tight scenes and punchy subheads keep pace. Mix of specific crashes and policy stakes sustains attention.
  • Writing quality: ✅ — Muscular, spare sentences with vivid but factual detail. Structure meets subhead guidance. Minor repetition (“The tempo does not let up.”) but overall strong.
  • Trustworthiness: ❌ — Most facts sourced. Two issues: 1) “City law now allows a lower default speed limit. Advocates call for 20 mph.” lacks a provided citation; 2) “Our own brief shows…” references internal analysis not cited. Also “The report counted 32 such …
  • Recommendations:
    • Amend prompt to require that any policy context (e.g., authority to lower default speed limit, target speeds) be included only if a supporting citation exists in the provided context; otherwise, omit or phrase as general needs without asse…
    • Direct the model to avoid referencing internal analyses (“our brief”) unless a specific, citable internal URL is provided in context; otherwise, replace with a neutral pointer to /take_action/ without evidentiary claims.
    • Add an instruction to foreground pedestrians and cyclists in the lede and stat framing (e.g., call out pedestrian/cyclist injuries/fatalities if available in data), and to minimize repetition/stock lines.

default_checklist

SD 23: 12 p.m.: a rider hits a door and does not get up

Just after 3:12 p.m. on July 5, at Bay Street and Norwood Avenue, a 34‑year‑old motorcyclist hit a Toyota making a K‑turn. He died at the hospital. amNY | NYC Open Data

He was one of 5 people killed on the streets of Senate District 23 since January 1, 2022. In that span, there were 2,057 crashes and 1,259 injuries, including 12 serious injuries. NYC Open Data

Castleton and Park, 1 a.m.

Hours matter. So do corners. Around 1 a.m. on August 5, a 13‑year‑old on a moped hit an MTA bus on Castleton Avenue at Park Avenue. He was thrown and rushed in critical condition, police said. ABC7 reported the basics; amNY added the intersection and time.

On Hylan Boulevard, signs send drivers guessing. The borough president counted crash after crash tied to right turns made from the middle lane. “That’s one accident every four days,” he said. amNY

Intersections keep taking people

An 80‑year‑old man was killed crossing at Hylan Boulevard and Benton Avenue on March 7. Police said the SUV was going straight. NYC Open Data

A Sheepshead Bay left turn by an MTA bus pinned an 87‑year‑old man under the coach on June 2. “Standing near the corner,” police said; he went to the hospital in critical condition. Gothamist

Power sits with people who vote

The city’s 24/7 school‑zone speed cameras were renewed — but not with help from this district’s senator. Senator Jessica Scarcella‑Spanton voted no on reauthorization, one of three city senators in opposition, according to Streetsblog NYC. In the Assembly, AD 63’s Sam Pirozzolo also voted no, the outlet reported. Streetsblog NYC

On repeat speeders, Scarcella‑Spanton voted yes in committee for the state bill to require intelligent speed assistance after a pattern of violations. The measure is filed as S 4045. Open States

The fixes are known

Lower speeds save lives. New York City now has the power to set safer limits and to rein in the worst repeat speeders. Albany passed the tools; the city and state can use them.

  • City Hall can lower the default limit across more streets.
  • Albany can pass and enforce speed‑limiter mandates for habitual violators like those in S 4045.

SD 23’s electeds are Kamillah Hanks in the Council, Sam Pirozzolo in the Assembly, and Jessica Scarcella‑Spanton in the Senate. Their records above are public. The crashes are, too.

Act now. Tell them to slow the cars and stop the repeat offenders. Start here: /take_action/.

FAQ

  • Q: Where is this? A: This report covers New York State Senate District 23 (SD 23), which includes parts of Staten Island and southern Brooklyn. It overlaps City Council Districts 47, 48, 49, and 50, and Assembly Districts 45, 46, 61, 63, and 64.
  • Q: How many crashes and victims are we talking about? A: From 2022‑01‑01 to 2025‑08‑26 in SD 23, there were 2,057 crashes, 1,259 people injured, and 5 people killed, including 12 serious injuries, according to NYC Open Data.
  • Q: What specific crashes are cited here? A: We cite the July 5, 2025 Bay Street K‑turn crash that killed a 34‑year‑old motorcyclist (amNY); the August 5, 2025 Castleton and Park moped‑bus collision that critically injured a 13‑year‑old (ABC7, amNY); the March 7, 2025 Hylan and Benton pedestrian fatality (NYC Open Data); and the June 2, 2025 Sheepshead Bay bus left‑turn pinning (Gothamist).
  • Q: How were these numbers calculated? A: We pulled crash, person, and vehicle records from NYC Open Data’s Motor Vehicle Collisions datasets and filtered them to the SD 23 boundary and the period 2022‑01‑01 through 2025‑08‑26. Datasets: Crashes, Persons, Vehicles. Extraction date: August 25, 2025. You can view the base datasets here: Crashes, Persons, Vehicles.
  • Q: What is CrashCount? A: We’re a tool for helping hold local politicians and other actors accountable for their failure to protect you when you’re walking or cycling in NYC. We update our site constantly to provide you with up to date information on what’s happening in your neighborhood.

Citations

Geo: senate-23

Editor Evaluation

  • Overall score: 7
  • Poignancy: ✅ — Spare detail and time/place anchors deliver impact without melodrama. Effective restraint.
  • Persuasiveness: ✅ — Strong closing call to action and clear policy asks; ties local incidents to fixes. Could foreground pedestrians/cyclists more versus motorcyclist/moped incidents.
  • Interest: ✅ — Tight lead, vivid scene-setting, varied incidents, punchy subheads. Engaging throughout.
  • Writing quality: ✅ — Spare, direct, mostly concrete. Minimal adjectives. Clear structure with subheads, bullets, and CTA. Small drift into generalities in “The fixes are known.”
  • Trustworthiness: ❌ — Most facts are sourced. Risks: SD 23 boundary filtering method not verifiable here; “Albany passed the tools” overstates if not cited; Open States labeled as source but URL is nysenate.gov; Streetsblog headline used; “one accident every fo…
  • Recommendations:
    • Constrain policy assertions to what’s explicitly cited; replace “New York City now has the power to set safer limits” and “Albany passed the tools” with a sourced line or remove. Add a citation that NYC can lower default limits or rephrase…
    • Center vulnerable road users with at least one pedestrian or cyclist case in the lede section and quantify pedestrian/cyclist injuries/fatalities from the dataset, explicitly labeled and linked.
    • Tighten citations consistency and attribution: label nysenate.gov source as ‘New York State Senate’ not ‘Open States’; add accessed date for all; ensure every in-text link domain appears in citations; add quote marks when using direct phra…