Skip to Content
Streetsblog New York City home
Streetsblog New York City home
Log In
Cartoon

A Round and a Roundy: How the NYPD Investigates Crashes (Poorly)

Cartoon: Bill Roundy

It's our December donation drive. Your gift helps us do these kinds of important stories. So please click here.
It's our December donation drive. Your gift helps us do these kinds of important stories. So please click here.

Our editorial cartoonist was upset after reading our post about shoddy policing that absolved a driver off who had just rammed her car into a cyclist on the Second Avenue "protected" bike lane.

Editorial cartoon of Bill Roundy by editorial cartoonist Bill Roundy.
Bill Roundy by Bill Roundy.
Editorial cartoon of Bill Roundy by editorial cartoonist Bill Roundy.

And it made him wonder: Does the NYPD treat other crimes as if they are simply unavoidable "accidents"? Of course not. If someone uses a gun or a knife to injure someone, Dermot Shea's officers seek to hold someone accountable for that violence. As they should.

But road violence is treated differently. Sure, it's partly because everyone (including cops) drive — and unlike carrying a gun, driving itself isn't illegal. But when any tool — a gun, a screwdriver or a car — is used violently or carelessly, there needs to be some recourse.

Except the NYPD doesn't agree, which is why we need national treasures like Bill Roundy on the case.

All of Bill Roundy's cartoons are archived here.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

Friday Video: Meet the Subway’s Straphanger-Free Trains

We've all seen them. Now, thanks to YouTube's "Half as Interesting," we can tell you the purpose of each one.

October 3, 2025

The MTA Is Headed To The Lab To Design The Ridgewood Busway

A filthy private road underneath the elevated M tracks could become a gleaming bus-first corridor.

October 3, 2025

Friday’s Headlines: Good News Edition

The Department of Transportation reports that traffic deaths are way down through the first three quarters of 2025. Plus other news.

October 3, 2025

‘Bean-Counting Street Safety’: Advocates Blast Gale Brewer’s Daylighting Flip-Flop

The Upper West Side pol's inconsistent safety record is getting a second look from activists who once supported her.

October 2, 2025

There’s Good Science Behind the Human Craving for Livable Streets

It's time to understand the science of pedestrian-friendly cities. Or, why streets should be designed like gardens.

October 2, 2025

Thursday’s Headlines: Mourning Becomes Enforcement Edition

Why were cops ticketing cyclists at the very intersection where a bike rider was killed by a driver on Saturday? Plus other news.

October 2, 2025
See all posts