Ten years after the launch of Vision Zero in New York City, an initiative aimed at improving traffic safety, traffic violence continues to impact tens of thousands of New Yorkers each year. Yet traditional responses to driving offenses often fail to address the underlying issues that lead to unsafe driving while exacerbating racial and economic disparities.
The Driver Accountability Program is an alternative sentencing program for people arraigned on driving-related charges. This evaluation of the program found that participants were less likely than others to reoffend with similar charges in the two years after program participation. In Brooklyn, participants were more likely than the comparison group to have their case dismissed and less likely to receive a fine. Together, these findings suggest that DAP has shown success in improving street safety and reducing the harms and overall footprint of the criminal legal system.
This evaluation and its findings build on a 2022 participant-focused evaluation of the program, which found that DAP contributes to safer driving habits among participants.”