An innovative response to driving offenses reduces recidivism while cutting back on the harms of the justice system, according to our new impact evaluation.
With rates of traffic violence at a decade-long high in New York City, our new evaluation of the Driver Accountability Program shows promising signs of success at reducing reoffending and shrinking the footprint of the justice system.
The Driver Accountability Program (DAP) is a citywide alternative sentencing program that works with people charged with traffic violations to foster safer driving habits. It also aims to reduce the harms of the criminal justice system, like fines and criminal records that disproportionately burden low-income people and people of color and can hurt someone’s chances of finding work and housing.
In 2023, the program served over 1,700 participants. Since it first launched as a pilot program in 2015, more than 6,500 people have participated. It was also a crucial element in developing the Circles for Safe Streets program, which takes a restorative justice approach to traffic crimes resulting in serious injury or death. Before beginning the restorative justice process, all drivers in Circles for Safe Streets are first required to take part in the Driver Accountability Program.
The DAP is a 90-minute group session open to people charged with driving-related offenses in New York City criminal court. Its curriculum was developed in partnership with advocacy groups Transportation Alternatives and Families for Safe Streets, and support for the pilot program in 2015 came from the Brooklyn District Attorney and New York City Comptroller Brad Lander, who was a New York City Council Member at the time. The program curriculum emphasizes education, awareness, and self-reflection to help participants adopt safer beliefs and habits around their driving. Our first participant-focused evaluation of the program in 2022 showed crucial evidence of success at that goal.
Our new impact evaluation looks at the program from a different angle, focusing on rates of reoffending in Brooklyn and Staten Island. We found that it has both improved street safety and reduced the harms of the justice system. The DAP reduced recidivism at six months in both boroughs, by about 50 percent in Brooklyn and 40 percent on Staten Island. In Brooklyn, those reductions held up throughout the duration of the study, up to two years after the initial case. Participants in Brooklyn were also twice as likely to have their criminal cases dismissed than those who face a typical response.
“Our evaluation of the Driver Accountability Program shows that we can make our city safer by reducing recidivism and traffic offenses while improving fairness,” said our CEO Courtney Bryan. “Our goal in creating the DAP was to improve justice for everyone by making our streets safer and reducing the use of fines and fees, which perpetuate racial and income-based disparities and fail to address unsafe driving behaviors. The change in behavior among DAP participants proves that alternatives to fines and fees can not only improve fairness, but make everyone safer.”
“The Driver Accountability Program’s success rate once again demonstrates the significant, positive impact of problem-solving justice initiatives—in lieu of more punitive measures such as fines and fees—in reducing recidivism and promoting public safety,” said New York Criminal Court Administrative Judge Tamiko Amaker. “This innovative program is both effective and equitable, leading to better outcomes in cases involving driving-related offenses by not just addressing offenses, but fostering a culture of responsibility among drivers. I am thankful to the Center for Justice Innovation and our other justice system partners for their hard work and collaboration in the development and implementation of this important program.”
“I strongly believe that the best way to combat vehicular violence is by educating motorists and confronting them with the harm they caused or may have caused by driving unlawfully,” said Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez. “The recent findings regarding the success of our Driver Accountability Program reaffirms this approach, which reduces recidivism while minimizing criminal justice involvement. This same understanding underpins our Circles for Safe Streets initiative that we use, with the same partners, in more severe vehicular crimes. I would like to thank the Center for Justice Innovation, Transportation Alternatives, and Families for Safe Streets for their work on DAP over the years and I’m grateful that this important program has expanded citywide following its success in Brooklyn. We will continue to invest in restorative justice initiatives to make our streets and roadways safer for everyone.”
“Reckless driving remains the primary cause of traffic crashes, fatalities, and serious injuries in New York City,” said New York City Comptroller Brad Lander. “The Center for Justice Innovation’s evaluation proves the Driver Accountability Program’s effectiveness at curbing recidivism and encouraging safer behavior. The data calls for nothing less than a full revival and expansion of the Dangerous Vehicle Abatement Program, which I spearheaded at the Council, to eliminate reckless driving and save lives.”
“We have to use every tool in our toolbox to reach Vision Zero—and the Driver Accountability Program is a critical component of that fight,” said Philip Miatkowski, Interim Deputy Executive Director of Transportation Alternatives. “Programs like these work, and so we’re not surprised to learn that the DAP has reduced recidivism in both Brooklyn and Staten Island. We can improve safety and reduce recidivism without relying on overly carceral punishments for traffic violence, and we hope the DAP can be a model across New York City and the entire country.”
“My son, Kevin, was killed by a truck driver when he was only 13 years old," said Margarita Flores, a member of Families for Safe Streets. "Punishing or incarcerating drivers will never bring back our family members—but working with them to reduce recidivism can and will prevent future crashes. I took part in a Circle for Safe Streets for a driver that killed a pedestrian, and I know the experience changed both of our lives. We have to dedicate everything we can today to preventing crashes and losses tomorrow. This program can and will save lives.”