When we’re out and about anywhere in the city, most of us wonder why it’s even necessary to have speed limits posted on many of the busiest roads. That’s because there is usually a crush of traffic that involves motorists hitting their horns more often than they hit their gas pedals. That makes it all the more shocking when we do see vehicles flying down the city streets at high rates of speed. It’s just not something that most would think drivers are able to even do very often.
However, car accidents across the city happen in surprisingly high numbers, and a recent spate of them has led city lawmakers to begin to publicly push the state legislature to act on a request to put up to 40 cameras around the city that would be used specifically to catch speeders. This request needs to run through the state because if the cameras were installed, they would generate revenue for the city based on the fines speeders would have to pay if they get caught.
The proposed fine schedule seems relatively low considering the danger that is created when drivers move at a rate of speed that’s too high through these crowded streets. The cameras would take photos of the vehicles and their license plates and then a letter would be sent to the registered owner of that vehicle alerting them of the citation. Drivers who are going up to 10 miles per hour over the speed limit would face a fine of $25. Drivers caught exceeding the speed limit by anywhere between 10 and 30 miles per hour would pay a $50 fine and drivers exceeding the speed limit by more than 30 miles per hour would be assessed a $100 fine.
Anyone who reviews the statistics regarding speed-related crashes in the city would soon realize the scope of the problem. According to data that’s kept by the state, more than 3,500 of these types of crashes occur in the city every year. More than 2,700 of these crashes lead to at least one injury and more than 50 of them lead to at least one fatality. Too many people are starting to worry about just how far this is going to go before steps are taken to bring these numbers down.
There is no telling where this effort will go with the state, but more people than just the city leaders are concerned about speeding drivers. New York is a very condensed place, and speeding through the city streets all but eliminates any margin of error that a driver has at his or her disposal considering the unpredictability of the overall driving environment.
If you or someone you love has been injured in a crash that was caused by a speeding driver, you have legal rights now regardless of what happens with these cameras. Contact the New York injury lawyers at The Fitzgerald Law Firm today to schedule a free initial consultation.