Bill Would Force Super Speeders To Install Limiters
- Gov. Kathy Hochul said on May 7 the final New York budget will include Stop Super Speeders, forcing some repeat NYC speeders to install limiters. - The trigger appears to be 16 speed-camera tickets in 12 months, with devices capping cars at roughly 5 mph above posted limits. - It matters because New York is moving from fines to physically slowing chronic offenders — a rare U.S. enforcement step.
New York is about to try a much more direct answer to reckless speeding. Not bigger fines. Not another warning letter. A speed limiter in the car itself. Gov. Kathy Hochul said Thursday, May 7, that the state’s final budget will include the Stop Super Speeders measure, a proposal aimed at the small group of drivers who rack up huge numbers of camera tickets in New York City. The basic idea is simple — if someone keeps speeding, the state can require technology that makes the car obey the limit instead of hoping the driver suddenly changes. (pix11.com) ### What is the state actually doing? The budget agreement folds in a version of the Stop Super Speeders Act, a bill pushed by state Sen. Andrew Gounardes and Assemblymember Emily Gallagher. Hochul has not released the final statutory text yet, but the version lawmakers and advocates have been pointing to wo(pix11.com)limiter. (pix11.com) ### Who gets tagged as a “super speeder”? The threshold being cited now is 16 speed-camera violations in a 12-month period for New York City vehicles. That matches the benchmark advocates said was under negotiation for the budget deal, and it is stricter and narrower than some earlier versions of the legisla(pix11.com)y drivers who got caught once or twice. (pix11.com) ### What does the limiter do? The bill text defines intelligent speed assistance as technology that caps a vehicle’s speed at 5 mph above the posted limit in a given zone, while still allowing slight acceleration if traffic conditions require it. The installation period in the bill text is at least 12 months(pix11.com) can go. (nysenate.gov) ### Why not just keep issuing fines? Because the state’s argument is that fines are not changing behavior for the worst offenders. New York City transportation officials say vehicles with 16 camera violations in a year are twice as likely to be involved in a crash causing death or serious injury, and vehicles with 20 violations are f(nysenate.gov)of drivers whose records already scream risk. (pix11.com) ### Is this just for New York City? At first, yes. Hochul’s January State of the State plan framed the proposal around New York City super speeders, and PIX11 reported that the city would enforce the first phase. The broader concept is that other communities could opt in later after the city rollout is reviewed. (governor.ny.gov) ### Does this technology actually work? Supporters say yes — and they point to both overseas use and local pilots. The Senate bill summary says speed limiters have been linked to a 37% reduction in traffic deaths, and New York City’s own municipal pilot saw hard-braking in(governor.ny.gov)o hard. (nysenate.gov) ### What is the catch? The final budget language still matters a lot. AAA has said it likes the concept but wants to see the exact text before fully backing it. And because Hochul announced inclusion in the budget before releasing the full details, there is still room for the final version to shift on enforcement, hearings, costs, and removal rules. (pix11.com) ### Bottom line New York looks ready to move from punishing repeat speeders after the fact to preventing some of the speeding in the first place. That is the real change here — the state is treating extreme repeat speeding less like a ticket problem and more like drunk driving, where the answer is an interlock, not another fine. (pix11.com)
