More Evidence That Speed Cameras Slow Traffic Speeds

The New York Department of Transportation (DOT) has crunched the numbers and has the data to prove it: speed cameras reduce unsafe speeds.

Last year, the city of New York was finally allowed by the state to run speed cameras on specific corridors 24 hours a day and seven days a week. The around the clock camera enforcement is controversial with drivers and government watchdogs, but popular with traffic safety advocates.

Now there is evidence that the 24-7 speed cameras have produced safer conditions on the street by drastically reducing the average speeds of drivers.

“The shift to around-the-clock automated enforcement since Aug. 1, 2022 has led to significant reductions in speeding — including 96 percent on Manhattan's Houston Street, 74 percent on North Conduit Boulevard near JFK Airport, and 68 percent on the Bronx's treacherous Bruckner Boulevard,” reports David Meyers, sharing insight into date recent released by DOT.

The data would seem to provide strong evidence that speed cameras are more than just a cash grab—a charge leveled by many speed camera opponents.

New York’s speed cameras became the character of the day on social media recently when famous television show creator David Simon complained about the cameras busting him for speeding.

Meyers again reiterates the case for automated enforcement of speeding in the source article, linked below:

Speeding is deadly, and the chances of being killed by a driver increase with driver speed. Speed was a reported factor in nearly one-third of deadly crashes in the U.S. in 2021, according to the Federal Highway Administration.

The New York City DOT is far from the first agency to see evidence of the safety benefits of speed cameras, of course. Similar data was also published in Ottawa earlier this year.