New York Legislators Want To Mandate Devices To Slow Cars Repeatedly Caught By Speed Cameras

Brooklyn lawmakers are on their path to mandate devices that would stop vehicles repeatedly scanned by cameras for reckless driving. Under a recently proposed bill, drivers with multi-speed camera violations would be instructed to enable aftermarket speed limiters on their cars.

Sen. Andrew Gournades said during the sponsorship of the bill,” There’s a persistent cohort of drivers who are getting five, six, seven, ten, 15, 20 speeding tickets – and driving on the streets recklessly without any consequences whatsoever,”. He added,” There are no consequences for speeders other than a fine. Just a slap on the wrist – $50 every single time.”

Assemblymember Emily Gallagher is in support of the assembly version of this bill.

Keeping this in view, the limiting device would be deployed on the vehicles, which will not allow them to cross 5 mph over the posted limit. The senator mentioned that the devices would be installed on cars that were caught more than six times on speed cameras.

In addition, those with speeding tickets issued by a police authority during traffic signals are violators of driving license rules. These are points against the driver’s license. This implies those who have higher speeding tickets have collected higher points against the driver’s license. According to New York regulations, a driver’s license will be suspended after 11 cumulative points in a duration of 18 months.

As per Gallagher and Gournades’s regulations, the bill needs a speed limiter on any driver with 11 cumulative points for them to retain their license. However, there’s a challenge with automated systems in New York, like the speed cameras. The issue is that these systems do not indicate the number of points on the driver’s license, and they cannot ascertain who’s driving the car.

To this, Gournades and Gallagher suggest installing the device on cars seen speeding. However, in any case, the limiters would have to be installed on the vehicle for at least 12 months.

Gournades said, “That would mean the most reckless drivers – the drivers with the biggest and longest speeding history on our streets – could not physically travel more than 30mph for a period of 12 months.”

That said, the upper-speed limit in New York City is 25 mph, and since the legislation allows only up to 5 mph above the posted limit, motorists cannot exceed 30mph. This would significantly reduce the chances of accidents and keep a check on reckless driving.

Other aspects are also taken into consideration to effectively tackle the situation. For example, GPS technology lets speed limiter devices adjust according to the vehicle’s location. According to a report by the National Transportation Safety Board, there are ways to help car manufacturers gain benefits by installing such devices in their vehicles.

Gournades compares his approach to that of an anti-drunk driving measure initiated by Leandra’s Law, where besides a high penalty, there is an additional consequence – the ignition would not start the car unless there’s a confirmation from the sober breathalyzer.

Gournades mentions that these measures have been taken in the past to keep a tab on drunken driving, which resulted in a reduction in the number of drivers consuming alcohol while driving. A similar approach has been brought in to combat the challenge of reckless driving in New York.

He added,” We know that when we slow our speed limits, we save our lives.” Gournades stresses the immediate need to control the rising numbers of drivers speeding their vehicles recklessly on the roads and streets of New York. These pose a serious concern not just for other drivers and passengers on the road but also for pedestrians.

It’s alarming that, as per the city data, around 44 pedestrians have been killed in such severe traffic accidents this year. While it is not very clear how many of these were caused as a result of excessively speeding vehicles, however, that remains a major problem to ponder. By installing mandatory speed-limiting devices in cars in New York, Gournades and Gallagher focus on bringing reckless driving within a permissible limit.

In case of legal queries or assistance with regard to incidents of speeding cars or reckless driving, it is recommended to reach out to a Huntington car accident attorney.