In an emotional scene, Yadilsa Fernandez tried to rewrite the fate of her beloved brother, David Fernandez, who was killed by a driver who ran a red light while standing next to Joel Adames at an Inwood intersection in 2022.

“You try to think of every possible thing that they could have done. That they could have like walked away or like been standing behind the pole,” Fernandez told the crowd.

NYC Department of Transportation Commissioner Ydanis Rodríguez is trying to rewrite the law. He held a rally Wednesday for a package of red light bills he recently introduced.

“Last year, there were 29 people killed in red light-running crashes, an all-time high in New York City,” Rodríguez told the crowd.

The DOT says it operates a 30-year-old red light camera program. There are currently red light cameras at 150 out of 13,700 intersections in the city — that’s 1%. With the program set to expire this year, the DOT is asking for it to be renewed and they’re also asking for red light cameras to be at 10% of all intersections — something Joel Adames’ sister, Elizabeth Adames, says could mean the difference between life and death.

“We honestly believe if there would have been a red light camera here, both Joel and David would be alive,” she said as she wept.

The DOT says a companion bill would require the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles to revoke the registration of vehicles that receive five or more red light camera violations in a 12-month period.