New York State, famous for everything from Broadway to Buffalo wings, now has another claim to fame: Popular Mechanics has named New York the third worst state in the U.S. to get a speeding ticket in.
A quick look at the fines associated with speeding tickets will help highlight why NY ranks so high on this list.
Continue reading “New York Ranks as Third Worst State for Speeding Tickets”
Long Island’s school zone camera program has had its fair share of controversy but now, as CBS News New York reports, Nassau County residents are taking to the streets in protest.
While government officials argue that these speed cameras are all about child and pedestrian safety, the citizen-organized group “Residents Opposing School Zone Speed Cameras” contends that the $80 tickets are nothing more than a revenue-generating scheme for the cash-strapped County.
Continue reading “Nassau County Group Protesting School Zone Speed Cameras”
According to a recent article, NYPD traffic data shows that there have been 4,756 speeding summonses issued in the borough of Staten Island through September of this year. This is compared with 2,412 summonses issued through the first nine months of 2013, a 97% increase!
As the article mentions, “tickets issued for disobeying street signage in 2014 are also forecast to climb about 50% in Staten Island as well.”
Continue reading “Staten Island Speeding Tickets Nearly Double in 2014”
According to a report by the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles, more pedestrians and cyclists were injured in New York City last year than in the previous five years. The stats reveal that total traffic injuries increased by about 2% from 2012 to 2013, with pedestrians and cyclists bearing the brunt of it. Pedestrian injuries were up 5% and cyclist injuries rose an alarming 8%!
Sadly, children accounted for many of the injuries as NYC drivers injured 4,278 children aged 13 and under—8 of whom were killed. In fact, motor vehicle crashes have consistently been the leading cause of death due to injury for children within the 5 boroughs.
Continue reading “2013 NYC Pedestrian and Cyclist Injuries Highest in 5 Years”
New York State data on the amount of money collected in traffic fines reveals that certain local communities have received significantly more fines than others.
For instance, the area receiving the least amount of revenue was Grand Island, which got only $166,000 in fines. Similarly, in the town of Lancaster, last year’s fine revenue totaled $231,000.
Clarence received $500,000 worth of revenue for traffic infractions within its borders and the town of Hamburg took in $550,000.
However, Cheektowaga has a stretch of road that notoriously gives out the most speeding tickets in all of New York State.
Continue reading “Amherst, Tonawanda, and Cheektowaga Cashing in on NY Speeding Tickets”
We see it all the time, New York police officers lurking on the side of the road waiting for your vehicle to pass at the exact moment the 65 MPH zone drops to 45 MPH. Of course, these speed traps – and their enforcement – are much more common in some areas than others.
A new analysis of state ticketing data shows that these are the top 10 speed trap locations in New York State:
In recent months, New York State police officers have ramped up their pre-emptive approach to reducing speed-related crashes and improving safe travel for drivers and passengers.
In the city of Canandaigua, 599 speeding tickets were given out on North Main Street in 2013 by city police officers. According to Sgt. Scott Kadien, that number is set to double this year. 722 tickets had already been issued as of July 31, 2014.
During Speed Week—and throughout the year—officers like State Trooper Greg Beaver are cruising the highways and logging an average of 100 miles per day. That time is above and beyond the time taken to respond to Ontario County 911 Center dispatches and working ongoing investigations.
Troop E covers all the counties in the Finger Lakes region, and is divided into three zones:
The Canandaigua station covers all of Ontario County, and is where Trooper Beaver is based.
He explained, “We try to reduce speeding which will in turn reduce serious accidents … and we enforce all traffic laws and any unsafe acts, such as cell phone use, seatbelt use[,] and the move over law.”
The trooper continued, “Ever since high school I’ve always respected police and always thought it would be a fun job and career … It’s a rewarding job because you’re helping people, helping ensure that the roads and highways of our state are safe.”
In the midst of this lies the harsh reality that cities like Canandaigua are raking in your hard earned money for every traffic ticket conviction and guilty plea they receive.
As we all know too well, not every ticket that you receive is deserved and not every officer issuing them is doing so in the nicest fashion.
With a few weekends left before summer is officially over, make sure you are on the lookout for police officers during any road trips through New York State. After all, state troopers will certainly be looking for you.
If you recently received a NY speeding ticket, contact Rosenblum Law today at 888-434-0406.
Thousands of Long Island drivers recently received school zone speeding tickets in the mail.
CBS 2’s Carolyn Gusoff reported that the brand new speed-camera program is generating a tremendous amount of negative feedback from drivers saying they had no idea that school zone speed limits were still in force during the summer.
One driver noted that he always slows down in school zones when school is in session. However, unbeknownst to him, he was mailed four tickets from a speed camera for school-zone speeding!
He thought school was not in session. After all, it’s August. Plainedge Middle School appeared deserted and he was driving 36 mph in a 40 mph zone.
However—since summer school was in session—the zone was really 25 mph.
According to the driver, “[S]ummer school is not posted or advertised anywhere as to be in session … It’s not on any of the school calendars.”
Another motorist got slapped with 11 tickets costing $80 each in the same week.
Ever since Nassau County began its most recent school zone ticket blitz, similar stories have been cropping up.
New York State allows speed cameras to ticket drivers going more than 10 mph over the school speed limit on school days during school hours in addition to an hour before and after school as well as during school activities.
Nevertheless, many drivers near Plainedge Middle School are claiming that this type of summertime ticketing stretches the definition of “school day” simply to make money.
According to the Plainedge’s schools superintendent, 100 students were attending summer school. However, he promises that summer school days will be added to the district calendars.
If you recently received a New York speeding ticket, contact Rosenblum Law today at 888-434-0406.
Update: As of August 22, Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano has declared amnesty on all school zone speeding tickets issued during the summer. Click here for details.
Brand new legislation went into effect this past Wednesday aimed at increasing student safety near schools.
Assemblyman Dave McDonough announced that the law was signed by Governor Andrew Cuomo to establish speed monitoring systems in school zones on Long Island.
According to Mr. McDonough, the new law will allow Nassau and Suffolk counties to start four-year speed camera pilot programs within 120 approved school zones.
The Assemblyman explained, “I have been a long-time advocate of public safety and this legislation marks a substantial victory in the fight to prevent speeding and other dangerous traffic violations in the vicinity of our local schools.”
In addition to the speed cameras, we expect this emphasis on school zone safety to increase police enforcement in school zones. If the pilot program is successful, it is likely that similar programs will pop up throughout New York State.
If you happen to pass a school on your way to work or during your daily commute, be sure to slow down and obey the traffic rules. Remember, speed limits are drastically reduced near schools, often with little warning. If you are approaching a school zone, pay attention to traffic signs or you may soon find a camera ticket in your mailbox.
Getting caught for speeding in a school zone translates into significant fines, points, insurance hikes, and penalties.
If you recently received a school zone speeding ticket in NY, contact Rosenblum Law today at 888-434-0406.
A question that most drivers want an answer to is: Are traffic cameras always accurate?
One Manhattan judge certainly does not think so!
State Supreme Court Justice Geoffrey Wright recently received a NY traffic ticket for driving in a bus lane. However, he is convinced that the camera was not accurate.
Although the fine is only $115, Justice Wright is fighting this one on principle.
According to Justice Wright, he was driving a 2005 Mazda MZ6 that was registered to his 94-year-old mother when he was caught by a traffic camera on 23rd Street.
He claims to have photos from the ground to prove he was just to the left of the designated lane. These photos show two bus lanes on First Avenue with manhole covers visible in those spaces.
Wright contends that his car was to the left of those manholes, so he could not have been in a bus lane.
Interestingly, the city’s camera images that are attached as exhibits to the lawsuit are too blurry to make out exactly where the Mazda was in relation to the lanes—casting further doubt on the reliability of some NY traffic cameras.
However, in spite of this, Mayor de Blasio wants the New York Legislature to allow for the installation of even more traffic cameras.
It is lawsuits like this that really call into question the veracity of red light cameras and traffic cameras generally.
It seems that the picture and video quality on traffic cameras is usually good enough to detect that a specific car was in violation of a vehicle and traffic law. However, determining the driver of that vehicle is much harder.
Similarly, in order for red light cameras to be accurate, the speed at which they take photos and videos needs to be within milliseconds.
Ultimately, although courts throughout the country have universally accepted the accuracy of traffic cameras, there still seems to be enough wiggle-room to take Justice Wright’s lead and stand up against them.
