Queens sits nestled between Manhattan and Long Island (east/west), as well as The Bronx and Brooklyn (north/south), making it a necessary cross-through for many New Yorkers. The county is known for its diversity and numerous universities such as Queens College and St. John’s University. It is also known for the NYPD, which enforces traffic laws in the county/borough. Because of its location, this county receives more traffic tickets than the others. In 2021, it ranked 4th among the New York counties issuing the most speeding tickets.
Drivers who get a speeding ticket from the NYPD or state troopers in Queens should think twice about paying it. The cost of a speeding ticket can be hundreds of dollars more than the fine itself. Instead, drivers should hire an experienced traffic ticket attorney to help avoid the penalties.
Queens: County or Borough?
Queens is both a NYS county and a borough of NYC. Like all the other boroughs of New York City—which are also counties—Queens and the other four boroughs do not have a county seat or county-level government. While there is a borough president and local community board, legislative and executive government acts are performed via the NYC government.
| County | Number of Speeding Tickets |
| Westchester | 40,076 |
| Erie | 39,124 |
| Suffolk | 30,203 |
| Queens | 28,009 |
| Orange | 26,351 |
| Dutchess | 23,838 |
| Nassau | 20,090 |
| Kings | 19,285 |
| Richmond | 16,667 |
| Bronx | 15,964 |
The fine for a speeding ticket in Queens runs from $90 to $600 in most cases. Those who agree to pay (or are convicted in court) will also have to shell out for a mandatory state surcharge of $88. That’s not all: If a speeding ticket puts the total number of points on one’s license at six or more, the driver will be expected to pay a Driver Responsibility Assessment (DRA) fee to the NYS DMV. The DRA costs $300 plus $75 for each point over six and is in addition to the fine. On top of those costs, a speeding ticket can cause a serious increase in insurance premiums, which typically affects a driver for three or more years. If a driver accumulates 11 points or speeds twice in a work zone or three times in a regular zone within an 18 month period he/she will be facing a loss of NY driving privileges (this applies to out-of-state drivers as well).
In 2021, NYPD and other law enforcement agencies wrote 34,367 speeding tickets to drivers in Queens. This is 15% less speeding tickets than in 2019. In 2017, speeding tickets comprised nearly 16% of all tickets written in Queens, the highest proportion in the past 10 years. Nearly three-quarters of drivers tagged for speeding are male—well above the state average of 66%. More drivers are hit with speeding tickets on Monday than any other day in 2021, although marginally so.
| Year | Total |
| 2012 | 24,358 |
| 2013 | 23,839 |
| 2014 | 34,947 |
| 2015 | 33,626 |
| 2016 | 36,799 |
| 2017 | 40,689 |
| 2018 | 41,881 |
| 2019 | 39,941 |
| 2020 | 34,367 |
| 2021 | 28,009 |
When the police write traffic tickets in NYC—whether in Queens or NYC’s other four boroughs—it is answerable to the Traffic Violations Bureau (TVB). This means big trouble for drivers, as the TVB does not allow tickets to be pleaded down. The TVB in Queens has a conviction rate of 94.2%, which means any driver hoping to beat their ticket will need help from a skilled New York traffic ticket attorney if they want a good shot.
While the western portion of Queens has abundant public transportation, including subways, buses and train stations, eastern Queens is more automobile-dependent. The county/borough is traversed by three east-west highways and several north-south highways. This includes The Long Island Expressway (I-495), which runs west from the Queens Midtown Tunnel into Long Island’s Nassau and Suffolk counties; the Grand Central Parkway; the Belt Parkway; the Cross Island Parkway; the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway (I-278), the Van Wyck Expressway (I-678), and the Clearview Expressway (I-295). In addition to several prominent colleges and universities, Queens is also home to LaGuardia and JFK International Airport. This ensures that many drivers from all over the tristate area are traipsing in and out of Queens every day, giving the police a lot of drivers to watch out for.
A speeding ticket in Queens is a serious matter. The penalties are high and the likelihood of a driver beating the ticket on their own is small. Those who wish to avoid the costs should hire an experienced traffic defense attorney to evaluate the charges and develop a strong defense to avoid the fines and points. In addition to increasing the chances of success, an attorney can also save you a trip to the courthouse.Contact Rosenblum Law to assist you with your speeding ticket matter in Queens. We can offer you a free consultation about your case and have our attorneys fight on your behalf. Our attorneys have fought tickets at the Traffic Violations Bureau for clients from Astoria, Bayside, Bellerose, College Point, Corona, Douglaston, Elmhurst, Flushing, Forest Hills, Fresh Meadow, Glen Oaks, Hollis, Howard Beach, Jackson Heights, Jamaica, Kew Gardens, Little Neck, Long Island City, Ozone Park, Rego Park, the Rockaways, Whitestone, and Woodside. Call 888-434-0406 or email Rosenblum Law today for a free consultation about your case.