Speeding Ticket in NYC: Prevention and Safe Driving

Taxi Insider Newspaper 2010

The faster you go the more money you’ll make. True or false? If you don’t get stopped by the police you’ll make more money. If you do get pulled over and receive a speeding ticket in NYC, your fare could end up costing you money.

What should you do? The safest thing to do is to drive the speed limit. The maximum speed on the highway in New York City is 50mph. The unmarked roads have a maximum speed limit of 30mph. The police rarely stop cars for ten miles over the speed limit. So generally you’ll be safe if you drive 60mph in a 50mph zone or 40 in a 30mph zone. If you drive faster than that, you are fair game.

Where are most of the speeding tickets in NYC issued?

Manhattan

  1. FDR Drive Northbound approaching Brooklyn Bridge: Coming out of the tunnel at the base of Manhattan, the highway is wide and perfectly paved. It’s an excellent place to drive 70 mph. The officers sit in the white zebra stripes on the right where the road narrows watching FDR Drive traffic. The speed limit in this area is 40 mph.
  2. New Spot – FDR Drive Southbound approaching the Brooklyn Bridge: The police officer sits in the zebra stripes catching left lane FDR Drive traffic.
  3. The First Avenue tunnel in front of the United Nations: Once again, this is a great place to speed – no cross streets, lights, or pedestrians. Unfortunately, the police wait at the end of the tunnel and catch you on laser or radar from several hundred feet away. The speed limit is 30 mph.
  4. North of 110 th Street, on the West Side Highway: This spot is a favorite roadway for officers to write tickets. Some areas are 35 mph, some 40 mph and some 50 mph. You must watch the signs. If the speed limit is 50 mph, and you are driving at 63 mph, you probably won’t be stopped. If you pass a 40 mph speed sign, and continue at 63 mph, you are driving at 23 mph over the speed limit, and you could receive a six point ticket.

This seems like as good a place as any to discuss speeding penalties

Under 10mph 3 pts
11mph-20 mph 4 pts
21mph-30mph 6 pts
31mph-40mph 8 pts
Over 41mph 11 pts

Generally, the Traffic Violations Bureau will not revoke your driver’s license unless you receive three speeding tickets in an 18 month period. The penalty is a six month mandatory revocation of your driving privileges in New York State.

A driver safety class will reduce your points by 4. The class is six hours and can be taken on one or two days or online. The reduction class covers the tickets you received in the eighteen month period prior to taking the class. If you are convicted of summonses outside of NYC, and the conviction raises your point level to eleven points the DMV will notify you of a safety hearing. The judge will determine whether your driving privileges should be suspended.

The Department of Motor Vehicles will charge you a $300 driver assessment fee for 6 points. The fee goes up by $25 dollars for each additional point.

The Taxi and Limousine Commission may suspend your Hack License for 30 days if you receive 6 points in a 15 month period. They may revoke your Hack License for 10 points in a 15 month period. The TLC gives a 2 point reduction for completing the driver safety class. Once again, the important date is the date you received the ticket, not the conviction date.

QUEENS

The favorite areas for the police to issue summonses are:

  1. The Clearview Northbound around Union Turnpike
  2. The Westbound Grand Central just over the Long Island/Queens border where the speed limit drops from 55mph-50mph.
  3. The Whitestone Bridge: The police wait to catch motorists as they come down the hill. They wait in the zebra stripes at the bottom.
  4. Francis Lewis Boulevard

BROOKLYN

The Belt, the Belt, the Belt. The police are all over the place heading toward Manhattan, they are usually just past the Verrazano Bridge tucked in on the right.

STATEN ISLAND

It’s a disaster. The police are everywhere. Go the speed limit.

THE BRONX

  1. The toll plazas
  2. The city line where the speed limit changes from 55mph-50mph
  3. I-95 New England Thruway

Please Note: Service roads unless otherwise posted have a speed limit of 30 mph. The police love to write tickets on these roads. People exit the highway at 55mph or 60 mph and forget to slow down. Be careful.

Actually, be aware of any location where the speed limit decreases. The police officer often waits just after the signs. If you are driving 62mph in a 50mph zone and the speed limit changes to 40mph, you are driving 22mph over the speed limit. This is a 6 point ticket.

If the radar, laser and lidar weren’t bad enough, police officers can also issue tickets after pacing your vehicle. The officer follows you for a minimum of three-tenths of a mile. If his speedometer reads over the speed limit, he can issue you a ticket.

Armed with this information, drive safely and try not to get tickets.

Karen A. Friedman is an attorney who has practiced law for the last thirty years. She is currently the President of the Association of Motor Vehicle Trial Attorneys (AMVTA). Prior to embarking on a legal career, she drove a taxi for four years and for three years was the Union Chairperson of Super which later became Elgin (a.k.a. Skull’s Angels). Her years of representing taxi drivers in the shop encouraged her to pursue a legal career. Contact Karen A. Friedman today for help with your speeding ticket in NYC.