Additional speed cameras have been installed throughout the city this week in an effort to get drivers to slow down now that the school year has begun. The additions include 40 mobile speed cameras and 100 fixed cameras added to school zones – the maximum amount of camera locations authorized by the state. The cameras’ radars will track a driver’s speed a quarter of a mile in either direction of the school and will then snap a picture of the car.
These added speed cameras come on the heels of the School’s Open – Drive Carefully campaign, in effect through October 14, 2015, which focuses on pedestrian safety. “The NYPD will be giving special attention along with other city agencies for our children returning to school,” said NYPD Chief of Transportation Thomas Chan. “Our officers will be focusing on speeding and distracted drivers.”
Speed deterrence and pedestrian safety are two of the main goals of Mayor Blasio’s Vision Zero campaign. Since the program’s inception, the City has issued over 945,000 speed camera violations, with over 500,000 this year alone. According to city officials, speeding is a leading cause of fatal crashes, responsible for approximately one in three people killed on New York City streets.
“There are over 2,500 schools in New York City. We only have 140 cameras. So every kid deserves the life saving devices,” said Paul White, executive director of Transportation Alternatives.
The Department of Transportation (DOT) has doubled the efforts to install speed cameras since this time last year. According to the DOT, daily violations have dropped by an average of 60 percent since adding more speed cameras. In September 2014, there were approximately 192 violations issued per camera, per day. By August 2015, the number of violations per camera dropped to 69, demonstrating that the program is deterring drivers from speeding.
Drivers should also take extra caution while traveling through school zones because fines are doubled for speeding in these areas. If you received a NY traffic ticket in a school zone (VTL 1180-c), contact Rosenblum Law via our contact page or call us at 888-434-0406. Our team of traffic ticket attorneys has a successful track record of fighting these cases and reducing or mitigating these consequences.