In 2014, the mayor of New York City rolled out his Vision Zero plan. The purpose of the plan is to reduce the number of pedestrian deaths and improve the overall safety on the city’s streets. An important aspect of Vision Zero was the reduction of the speed limit to 25 mph for the majority of New York City’s streets. While many people have heard of Vision Zero, and likely the speed limit reductions, few understand the implications for motorists. At Martin A. Kron & Associates, LLP, we have consulted with a number of people who have received speeding tickets since the implementation of Vision Zero. In this post, we will discuss how the plan is being enforced, and the penalties for receiving a speeding ticket in the city.
The role of the authorities in the Vision Zero plan is to step up enforcement in order to deter drivers from making reckless choices while driving. In addition to speeding, they are targeting those who talk and text while operating their vehicles, fail to yield, make improper turns and have signal violations, according to the City of New York’s website. This means there are increased patrols and officers are writing more tickets. CBS New York reported that there were more than 9,000 speeding tickets written in January of 2015. That is a significant increase from the 2,984 that were issued in January of 2014.
Generally, the penalties for speeding in New York City are the same as those for drivers throughout the state. With few exceptions, motorists who are convicted of speeding receive driver penalty points. The number of points depends on how fast over the speed limit a driver is traveling. In addition to penalty points, drivers who are convicted of speeding are typically fined. The amount of these fines can range from as low as $45 up to $600. Depending on the circumstances, speeding motorists may also face prison time. Drivers traveling up to 10 mph over the limit, or at an inappropriate speed, may be sentenced up to 15 days in prison. Those who are traveling more than 10 mph above the posted speed limit could face up to 30 days in prison.
For more information about the fines and penalties associated with speeding tickets in New York City may face, please visit our speeding tickets page.