The road to safer city streets could start with the selection of the top half-dozen traffic hot spots in each police district, updating their histories of accidents and related violations. Better roads, better drivers Strategies for making city streets safer The Mayor's response to this series Traffic tickets database . But City Hall has a better chance of hitting the lottery than of collecting that kind of money. And as city drivers scoff at the law with impunity, police see acquittal after acquittal and write fewer and fewer tickets. Putting on the Brakes Philadelphia police and their suburban counterparts differ dramatically when it comes to traffic enforcement.
Suburban cops take the tougher stance.
The city Police Department, apparently overburdened by other serious crimes and frustrated by Traffic Court's inability to punish errant drivers, has sharply curtailed traffic law enforcement. Now, the city's roads have no rules, and the death toll is rising. While passenger fatalities across the nation have dropped sharply, in Philadelphia, it's more dangerous to ride in a car now than at any time since the 1930's. All rights reserved. Any copying, redistribution, or retransmission of any of the contents of this service without the express written consent of Philadelphia Newspapers Inc. is expressly prohibited.