If you’ve ever felt unsafe in a cab, you may be happy to hear that the city’s Taxi and Limousine Commission is beginning a program to test black-box data recorders in yellow taxis, green cabs, and for-hire vehicles.
So far, there are 10 participating vehicles-- all set up with camera systems equipped to give drivers a heads up on upcoming hazards.
According to a TLC press release, they also contains analytic software that gives the city the opportunity to keep tabs on taxis.
Taxi Commissioner Meera Joshi said in a statement that the program “will give us a bird’s eye view of what is actually happening on the road and the mere presence of a black box will keep drivers mindful of the responsibility that they have behind the wheel."
Allan Fromberg, a TLC spokesman, told Capital New York that there will be a minimum of 40 more vehicles soon equipped with the add-ons.
Bronx Councilman James Vacca pushed this program as a part of Mayor de Blasio’s Vision Zero road-safety initiative. The overall end goal, according to Vacca, is to promote safety and “prevent accidents.”
As you probably already know, yellow cabs are oftentimes involved in the most catastrophic crashes in this entire city. But this initiative can change that all... or New Yorkers can at least hope, right?
[via ANIMAL]