A speed camera along Houston Street in Manhattan’s East Village, which has seen speeding decline by 96 percent since speed cameras went 24/7

Speeding dropped an average of 30%, building on prior success of speed camera program

Sharp declines in injuries recorded on corridors across City

NYC Department of Transportation (NYC DOT) Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez today announced that speeding, injuries, and traffic fatalities declined in areas with speed cameras during the first year of 24/7 enforcement. Speed camera violations dropped an average of 30%, with the most dramatic drop occurring on Houston Street in the East Village, where speeding declined by 96%. In addition to the reduction in speeding, injuries also declined along corridors across the city.

“One year ago we launched 24/7 speed camera enforcement, and the results are in: the program has reduced speeding, decreased the number of injuries, and made our streets safer,” said NYC DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez. “Speeding happens most often on nights and weekends, and expanded enforcement has been a highly effective tool to keep New Yorkers safe.”

One of the biggest benefits of expanded speed camera enforcement has been in the reduction of traffic fatalities in previously unprotected times. Since Mayor Eric Adams “flipped the switch” to kick off 24/7 speed camera enforcement, traffic fatalities on city streets dropped by 25% in speed camera zones during expanded hours. Previously, speed cameras were only legally permitted to operate on weekdays between 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. Speeding dropped the steepest at the following locations*:

  • 96 percent on Houston Street (Manhattan)
  • 84 percent on Cropsey Avenue (Brooklyn)
  • 74 percent on North Conduit Boulevard (Brooklyn)
  • 79 percent on Seagirt Boulevard (Queens)
  • 83 percent on Union Turnpike (Queens)
  • 68 percent on Brucker Boulevard (Bronx)

*Data as of 6/30/2023

Following 24-hour operations, NYC DOT also recorded steep declines in traffic injuries during overnight and weekend hours at camera locations across the city, including a*: 

  • 45 percent injury reduction on Tremont Avenue (Bronx)
  • 33 percent reduction on Kings Highway (Brooklyn)
  • 19 percent reduction on Hylan Boulevard (Staten Island)
  • 16 percent reduction on Queens Boulevard (Queens)
  • 18 percent reduction on Amsterdam Avenue (Manhattan)

*Data as of 7/31/2023

Around-the-clock speed camera enforcement began August 1, 2022, thanks to a change in state law enacted by Governor Kathy Hochul. The new law, Chapter 229 of 2022, was sponsored by Senator Andrew Gounardes and Assembly Member Deborah Glick.

Following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, cities across the nation saw an increase in speeding, with a notable uptick overnight and on weekends. In New York City, motor vehicle occupant fatalities far outpaced all other travel modes, with speed cited as a major contributing factor in most crashes. To address the rising instances of speeding, the Adams administration called for state legislative action to permit 24/7 speed camera enforcement. 

NYC DOT is committed to using all available tools to prevent reckless driving. Last year, several of the corridors with the most significant reductions in speeding and injuries also received safe street redesigns to calm traffic and improve safety for all road users.

Despite alarming national increases, New York City remains one of the safest cities to travel by foot. Excluding the anomaly of 2020, when the coronavirus pandemic forced New Yorkers to shelter in place, the first half of 2023 has thus far been the safest ever year for pedestrians on record. With pedestrian fatalities down by nearly 20 percent through the first seven months of 2023, New York City is seeing historic declines in pedestrian deaths.