Yahoo Autos New York Bill Aims to Place Speed Limiters in Cars With Too Many Speed Camera Tickets
A bill introduced on Tuesday by New York state officials could force New York City's most ticket-prone drivers to install speed governors on their vehicles as a result of their bad behavior.
According to amNewYork, the proposed bill was unveiled Tuesday at a press conference in Brooklyn. The legislation is sponsored by State Senator Andrew Gounardes and Assemblymember Emily Gallagher, both of whom are Democrats from Brooklyn. The proposed bill is intended as a proactive measure against what officials describe as the city’s worst drivers. More specifically, the bill is targeted at drivers who have managed to receive a significant number of speed camera and red light camera violations within city limits.
As the law is currently constructed, these camera violations cannot be used to add points to a driver’s license, as the camera only serves to identify specific vehicles, not their drivers. This means a driver cannot currently have their license suspended in relation to those fines. That said, NYC does run the Dangerous Vehicle Abatement Program, which targets drivers with a large number of camera infractions. As it currently exists, the program requires drivers with 15 speed camera infractions or five red light infractions to enroll in driver safety courses. Fail to attend those classes and the city will have your vehicle impounded.
The proposed legislation wouldn’t entirely change the speed camera situation in NYC, but rather add a new punitive wrinkle. The bill states that any driver who receives six or more speed camera infractions and or red light tickets within a year would be required to install a speed governor on their vehicle. It is important to note that speed cameras in NYC only activate if a driver is caught traveling at least 11 mph over the limit. The bill also has a carve-out in place for those who receive up to 11 points on their license in an 18-month period. This device would limit the top speed of the vehicle to no more than 5 mph over the posted speed limit. That means drivers will be unable to exceed 30 mph on most NYC streets.
This isn’t the first time NY officials have toyed with the idea of cutting back on speed. State Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal (D-Manhattan) introduced a much wider-ranging bill last year, which aims to require speed governors on all newly registered cars in New York State by 2024.
“If you have a demonstrated history of speeding throughout our city’s streets, of driving recklessly throughout our city’s streets, we are going to literally force you to slow down,” Gounardes said during the event.
New York City isn’t exactly set up to be a haven for speed. While driving in the Big Apple isn’t anyone's idea of a great time, trying to speed your way through it probably isn’t the best plan. This action would make New York the first state in the nation to try and address pedestrian fatalities in this way.
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