New video designed to stop jaywalking - before it starts
NEW YORK (WABC) -- It's catchy and cute, but a newly released video has a serious message about safety.
The New York City Department of Transportation wants the new public service announcement to teach children the dos and don'ts of crossing the street.
Roughly four minutes, the PSA is part of Mayor Bill de Blasio's Vision Zero Plan and comes at a time when even critics admit, the city is headed in the right direction.
Paul Steely White, the executive director of Transportation Alternatives, said, "We've already seen a market shift in how the NYPD is prioritizing its enforcement resources, putting more officers on failure to yield and on speeding ..."
White said the numbers are encouraging; new figures that show pedestrian fatalities in NYC decreased by a third, he said.
According to the New York City Police Department, in the first four months of last year, 60 people were hit by cars and killed, compared to 40 during the same time period this year.
On the Upper West Side, the issue strikes a nerve. Recently, there was a string of three separate deadly accidents.
In January, Samantha Lee was hit and killed. Nine-year-old Cooper Stock also was fatally struck, as was Alex Shear. But there are also signs of progress. On Broadway, there are new traffic patterns and the left turn lanes at 96th Street no longer exist.
