Eyes on the Street, 83 Years Ago: The Brooklyn Death-O-Meter
This is how our forebears raised awareness about the dangers of speeding and reckless driving, and it seemed appropriate to share while the Stop Speeding Summit is going on today. The Death-O-Meter, installed by the Brooklyn Safety Council at Grand Army Plaza in 1927, tracked serious injuries and fatalities in Brooklyn and put the information on display for everyone to see.
I think what's jarring about this picture is the willingness to publicly tell drivers, without beating around the bush, that their actions behind the wheel have potentially fatal consequences. The Death-O-Meter assigned agency to motorists in a way that you rarely see in the modern press, police statements, or the courts.
I haven't been able to pin down when the Death-O-Meter went away, or when the Brooklyn Safety Council disbanded, but I can point you to the definitive history of safety councils (which were formed in just about every U.S. city in the early part of the last century) and the social upheavals that accompanied the dawn of mass motoring in America. Go get a copy of Peter Norton's Fighting Traffic. If you're reading this post, I guarantee you will find it illuminating and deeply engrossing. And you'll never look at this Dodge Challenger ad quite the same way again.
Hat tip to reader Daniel Bowman Simon for the Death-O-Meter pic.
Stay in touch
Sign up for our free newsletter
More from Streetsblog New York City
Highway Boondoggles 2023: Salt Lake Shenanigans
Plans for a major freeway expansion based on over-inflated traffic projections are a wrongheaded way to deal with the region’s rapid population growth.
Cycle of Rage: Mayor is Failing the Leadership Test on Congestion Pricing
Purely for political and self-serving purposes, Mayor Adams is attacking congestion pricing — and, in doing so, is undermining the implementation of a program that he has long claimed to be a "strong" supporter of.
New York City is Down One MTA Board Member as Mayor Fights Congestion Pricing Fee
Sherif Soliman, who was appointed to the board only last year, quietly resigned on Sept. 22, and the mayor won't get a new person on the panel until next year.
Friday’s Headlines: A Congestion Alert Day
Like everyone else, we covered congestion pricing. Plus other news.
Adams Says He’ll Ban Parking Near 1,000 Intersections Every Year To Make Corners Safer
The city will daylight 1,000 intersections a year. A Brooklyn corner where a boy was killed in a crash is still waiting for the safety upgrades.
