Hochul: Police to launch crackdown on speeding as part of twice-a-year campaign

ALBANY — State, county and local police will mount increased patrols this week to crack down on speeders in a twice-a-year campaign that Gov. Kathy Hochul said was responsible for more than 114,000 tickets last year.

This year’s second Speed Awareness Week began Monday and will continue through Saturday. The first awareness week this year was in June.

The number of people killed or injured in vehicle crashes in which speed was a contributing factor increased to 18,833 in 2023, from 18,153 in 2022, according to the Institute for Traffic Safety Management and Research at the University at Albany’s Rockefeller College.

The number of accidents resulting in injury or death increased even as the overall number of crashes in which unsafe speed was a contributing factor dropped to 33,844 in 2023, compared with 34,658 in 2022, according to Rockefeller College.

"Safe driving is not just about following the rules — it’s about protecting the lives of every individual on our roads," Hochul said Monday. "By increasing patrols and focusing on speeding, we are taking a proactive step to ensure that our streets are safer for everyone ... Every ticket issued is a reminder: Your speed matters, and your safety is our priority."

Fines include $45 to $150 for speeding up to 10 mph over the speed limit, $90 to $300 for speeding 10 mph to 30 mph over the limit and $180 to $600 for speeding more than 30 mph over the speed limit, according to the Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee website.

A driver’s license is revoked after three convictions in 18 months.

The committee warns that a driver can be ticketed for speeding even if the driver is traveling at the same over-the-speed-limit rate as traffic.

Last year in one-week campaigns in June and August, police statewide issued 27,372 tickets for speeding, 2,738 for driving while impaired by alcohol or drugs, 4,545 tickets for distracted driving and more than 80,000 tickets for vehicle and traffic violations.

The state Institute for Traffic Safety Management and Research reported 31% of all fatal crashes were related to speeding in 2022. The center’s 2023 annual report said 25% of speeding-related accidents with deaths — and 13% of accidents with injuries — involved passing and lane changing in 2022.

The institute also found that drivers 21 to 29 years old were most often in crashes with fatalities and injuries, at 31%. The data also showed speeding drivers in accidents with fatalities and injuries were more than twice as likely to be men than women — 72% to 28%.

By Michael Gormley

michael.gormley@newsday.com@GormleyAlbany

Michael Gormley has worked for Newsday since 2013, covering state government, politics and issues. He has covered Albany since 2001.