Our Queens injury attorneys know that speeding is a top cause of car wrecks. Speed-limit laws impose penalties on those who go too fast in an effort to reduce the number of accidents.
But unfortunately law enforcement cannot be everywhere all the time and many people take their chances and drive faster than the limit. 
The NYDOT believes that drivers could be deterred from speeding through the use of speed cameras. When the DOT released the 2012 traffic safety statistics, it issued a DOT press release calling for “swift state authorization” to allow New York City to use speed cameras for the first time to enforce speeding laws.
The cameras would first be placed in areas near schools where speeding has been documented but should then expand to more widespread use.
Can Speed Camera Enforcement Stop Car Wrecks and Save Lives?
As the DOT reports, speeding caused 81 fatal car wrecks in NYC in 2012 and was the leading cause of traffic deaths. Speeding was also very common in certain areas near schools, and the DOT identified 100 schools where at least 75 percent of all vehicles were found to be speeding within a ¼ mile radius of the school.
One argument for using these cameras is that camera enforcement has been successful in the past. Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly indicated that red light cameras reduced accidents at intersections where the cameras had been installed.
If a red light camera could deter a driver from running a red light, then a camera might also be able to deter a driver from speeding. Thus, lives could potentially be saved as every driver in the school zones would learn that he or she couldn’t speed and would obey the limit even if there was not an active police presence at the time.
However, there are also some downsides to enforcing the speed limit with cameras. One problem is that drivers may become overly focused on where the speed cameras are, since the speed limit laws aren’t just broken at one fixed spot like the laws on stopping at red lights. Drivers could be so focused on this issue that they might pay less attention to other things and the accident risk could increase. Drivers might also slam on their brakes when approaching a speed limit camera, thus upping the risk of an accident with the car behind them.
Other problems might exist with the technology itself. For example, sometimes radar devices are not properly calibrated and there would be less active oversight of the cameras to make sure everything is working correctly as compared to when a radar gun is used by a police officer. As such, more citations might be issued that are of questionable vailidity.
Despite these and other potential downsides, however, speed limit cameras could allow the city to issue more citations for speeding without the need to employ more police. This could ensure more people follow the speed limit laws and potentially reduce the risk of a fatal car wreck as a result of a driver going too fast.
The Law Offices of Nicholas Rose, PLLC offers free consultations to those who have been injured in a speeding accident. Call 1-877-313-7673.
Additional Resources:
NYPD Changes Policy on Auto Accident Investigations, New York Injury Lawyer Blog, March 23, 2013
New York Traffic Fatality Prevention Laws Ahead of the Curve, New York City Personal Injury Lawyer Blog, Jan. 22, 2013
