What to Know
- New York City will turn on speed cameras 24/7 starting Monday
- The city’s 2,000 automated speed cameras have only operated on weekdays, between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m.
- According to the city, this time-frame allowed for the cameras to miss 59% of traffic fatalities that took place during the time when they were required to be turned off.
Hoping to lower the number of traffic deaths, New York City will turn on speed cameras 24/7 starting Monday.
The city’s 2,000 automated speed cameras have only operated on weekdays, between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. According to the city, this timeframe allowed for the cameras to miss 59% of traffic fatalities that took place during the time when they were required to be turned off.
“Overnight and weekend crashes have become far too prevalent in recent years, and we are so grateful that state legislators heard our call for 24/7 speed-camera coverage,” the city's Department of Transportation (DOT) Commissioner Rodriguez previously said.
A state law signed last month by Gov. Kathy Hochul allows for cameras to operate 24/7.
Speed cameras, according to the city, have been proven to slow speeding by 72%.
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News
“New Yorkers deserve to be safe on our streets 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and keeping our cameras on is a critical step in that direction,” Mayor Eric Adams previously said. “Speed cameras work: They save lives, reduce speeding, and help protect New Yorkers all across the city. And we are expanding this proven program to ensure that New Yorkers have that protection at any time of any day.”
NYC DOT, in conjunction with NYPD and other agencies, conducted a citywide Day of Awareness on Wednesday ahead of the city's 24/7 camera enforcement.
During the "Day of Awareness" street teams canvassed busy city locations during rush-hour periods, and during the mid-day, to provide motorists with cards notifying them of the change.
