EDITORIAL
HOW TO REACH US
TIMESLEDGER | QNS.12 COM | DEC. 27-JAN. 2, 2020
READERS WRITE
The holidays are here and it is
time to drive with caution this time
of the year where more accidents
have been reported.
Cambridge Mobile Telematics,
which offers an app to motorists
to track their road habits, says 50
percent of New York drivers are reported
to be speeding while on their
cell phones as they drive and more
so during the holidays. According
to the NYPD, this has added to the
number of accidents due to driver
distractions. This I find sad, troubling
and dangerous.
The other day while driving
home, a woman in front of me all of
a sudden changed lanes without signaling
as she was on her cell phone.
Meanwhile, this young woman had
two kids in the car and had what
appeared to be Christmas presents
and a dog in the vehicle.
What could this woman be
thinking? Was this phone call so
important that she was willing to
risk everyone’s life?
Now, I’m a senior citizen and
fully realize the dangers on the road
while driving. When my cell phone
rings and I’m driving, I reach a spot
where I can pull over and stop and
respond to that call. I wish more
people would do the same.
Additionally, I remember a few
years ago on a rainy night when
a woman was speeding down my
block to reach a green light and ended
up killing an elderly man and his
dog. That was very sad.
So please, this holiday season,
remember to use caution because
doing so may save lives.
Frederick R. Bedell Jr.
Glen Oaks Village
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Drive safely during the holidays
It is the season for giving and this year it seems as
if it has become more important to give back in recent
years as homelessness in New York City has reached
the highest levels since the Great Depression of the
1930s.
In September for instance, there were 62,391 homeless
people, including 14,962 homeless families with
22,083 homeless children sleeping each night in the
city’s municipal shelter system.
The number of homeless New Yorkers sleeping each
night in municipal shelters is now 59 percent higher than
it was 10 years ago and the number of homeless single
adults is 142 percent higher than it was 10 years ago.
Research shows that the primary cause of homelessness,
particularly among families is lack of affordable
housing while other triggering causes include eviction,
domestic violence, job loss and hazardous living conditions.
The de Blasio administration recently announced
new measures including 1,000 “safe haven” beds and
an equal number of new low-barrier housing for the estimated
3,600 people living on the streets and subways
and days later the City Council passed legislation that
will require housing developers receiving city funds to
reserve 15 percent of units for homeless New Yorkers by
a vote of 38-3.
This will result in permanent housing for thousands
of people in our city that are currently living in
shelters. But it will take time.
That is why giving is so important be it through
faith-based organizations or community-based groups.
Check with the district offices of your elected officials
and see what kind of food or clothing drive they
might be organizing during the holiday season.
You can even make an impact by visiting new car
dealers such as Koeppel Mazda and Helms Bros. Mercedes
Benz and donate winter coats for those in need.
With their highly visible retail locations and deep ties
to their communities, franchise new car dealers who
make up the Greater New York Automobile Dealers Association
serve as the largest collection sites for the 31st
annual NY Cares Winter Coat Drive with 25 locations
in Queens, the most in the five boroughs.
As the thermometers plummet consider this. The
number of students living in temporary housing this
year is over 114,000, about one in every 10 students,
compared to 69,000 children in 2010, according to New
York Cares.
Let’s give them a little warmth in the spirit of this
holiday season.
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