New York is saying goodbye to these speed thresholds. Road traffic safety regulatory changes are an important part of ensuring that drivers remain safe on the road with updated road traffic laws that speak to the current contemporaries on the road. This year alone, states have introduced a variety of changes to their road traffic policies in order to target drivers who continue to break the laws of the road. Many of these traffic reforms target unsafe driving practices such as excessive speeding and distracted driving.
Keeping the roads safe with updated policies
Each year, authorities continue to update and change their road traffic policies in response to the current realities on the road. In particular, authorities are constantly negotiating the convictions associated with specific unlawful driving behaviours. While the majority of unlawful driving practices are associated with traffic fines, many states this year have added additional convictions on top of these fines, such as the risk of jail time and even license suspension.
Excessive speeding is one unlawful driving behaviour that is regularly of concern among authorities and road traffic safety governing bodies. It is well-documented that speed increases are directly correlated with risk in road traffic accidents. According to data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), speeding accounted for approximately one-third of all road fatalities in 2023. As such, stamping out speeding is one of the most effective ways to ensure the safety of road users.
New York says goodbye to these speed thresholds
As a means to assist authorities with catching speeding drivers, many have begun to implement automated camera technology to monitor the roads in the absence of law enforcement. While locations such as New York City have built up a comprehensive speed camera network over the past decade, other locations are only just beginning to pilot these technologies.
Recently, in an official statement from the City of Syracuse, authorities revealed the latest data that they have collected in the school zone from their recently implemented automated camera technologies. Key findings include that 31% of speeding violations pertained to drivers driving 15 miles over the speed limit, with 59,950 speeding warnings sent out since the program was implemented in September.
“This data underscores the urgent need for this program,” said Mayor Walsh. “Syracuse schools are facing a speeding epidemic. We are seeing a concerning number of drivers exceeding the speed limit, running red lights and passing school buses where children are present.”
On November 2, the location began implementing fines instead of warnings for drivers who continue to speed above stipulated speeding thresholds, with each fine worth $50 and an additional $25 penalty if you do not pay your fine in time.
New traffic legislation takes effect this year across the country
Across the country, states are continuing to implement updated traffic legislation before the year comes to a close. Florida, in particular, has been implementing a variety of changes this year on their roads. Recent legislation that went into place included requiring drivers to pay fines of $5,000 should they be caught installing front-facing red, blue, and red-and-white lights that flash and rotate on their vehicles.
The reason for the severe penalty if caught is due to the fact that these lights impersonate emergency responder vehicles. On top of the severe fines, the conviction is now classified as a third-degree felony charge and also carries a conviction of up to five years in jail. The law went into place right before Halloween, ensuring that residents would not be tempted to deck their cars out as these vehicles to match their costumes, and if they did do so, they would be punished accordingly.
