These neighborhood grids just had a speed change, only in this one city. Keeping the roads safe from drivers who break speeding laws is a critical concern for local and federal authorities, with speeding accounting for approximately one-third of deaths and serious injuries on the road, according to data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). To stamp out this practice, new changes are being implemented across states to ensure legal compliance with driving behaviour.
Zero tolerance for unlawful driving behaviour
Across the country, states are making it their priority to showcase that they have a zero tolerance towards drivers who are caught excessively speeding, thereby endangering the lives of not just themselves but also other road users. In order to address this problem, a variety of measures have been put in place, including:
- Increasing the penalties associated with breaking speeding laws
- Changing speed limits on the roads
- Implementing automated camera technology to help law enforcement monitor the roads
These widespread changes are a response to the fact that many drivers continue to not adhere to the laws of the road, meaning increased measures are needed to be put in place in order to ensure compliance. Common increased penalties being seen across states include raising speeding fines to be worth thousands of dollars as well as the risk of jail time now on the line, particularly relevant if you are convicted of ‘excessively speeding’ over the legal speed limit.
New speed limit for these neighborhood grids
New York City in particular has been coming down hard on drivers who continue to break the laws of the road. Since 2014, the state has been expanding and growing its automated speeding and red-light camera technology in order to have constant monitoring of the roads and deter drivers from speeding or running red lights. Since 2022, over 2,000 speeding cameras have been maintained throughout the city, a feat that has influenced other locations.
Now, more changes are coming for New Yorkers regarding speeding policies. A statement from the New York City official website describes how the new Regional Slow Zones are set to be implemented in specific locations in the city, changing the speed limit from 25mph to 20mph thanks to the recent passing of Sammy’s Law which provided the city greater control over changing inner city-grid speed limits:
“Lowering vehicle speed limits by even a few miles per hour could be the difference between life or death in a traffic crash,” said NYC DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez. “Our newest Regional Slow Zones will save lives and protect our most vulnerable New Yorkers in some of our busiest pedestrian communities.
Over 250 locations throughout the city are set to have their speed limits lowered to 20mph by the end of 2025.
Other speed limit changes in this state
In addition to the new speed limit changes for passenger vehicle drivers, New York City has also recently updated its legislation to target riders of e-bikes. While no such legislation has ever existed before limiting the speed at which an e-bike can ride, the need for clarification of the matter became apparent thanks to the increase in complaints regarding the hazards they were posing to pedestrians.
As a response, Mayor Eric Adams announced in June of this year that officials would be proposing a new piece of legislation which would limit e-bikes and e-scooter riders to a speed of 15mph. The city has been discussing the prospects of regulating these transportation methods since 2024, with them sitting in a precarious position between not quite being a motor vehicle but also not quite belonging with non-motorized transportation methods such as traditional bicycles.
