Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh, for example, was captured after he was stopped for speeding. Whether increased enforcement is responsible for saving lives is a matter of considerable debate among traffic experts. But it appears the streets were marginally safer in 1997. Based on police data through November, crashes are down 12 percent. And, compared with last year's fatality figures, about 10 fewer people will die in traffic accidents.
Occupant fatalities are still up, however.
For drivers and their passengers, the 1990s are likely to be the deadliest decade in city history. Nonetheless, experts pointed to several factors that helped to make the streets safer this year. An earlier report from police headquarters showed cops were ticketing about 50 percent more drivers for failing to yield to pedestrians. Councilwoman Happy Fernandez, Operation Crosswalk's main backer, said city motorists still have a long way to go in changing their attitude toward pedestrians. Confiscation of vehicles from drivers who flout traffic laws and fail to pay their tickets.