In the stop-and-go traffic that bottles up so much Albany legislation, a bill to prevent especially reckless drivers from continuing to speed is moving ahead. The Stop Super Speeders bill overwhelmingly passed the state Senate’s Transportation Committee this week. It must keep up its momentum and pass the full Senate, and the Assembly.
Speeding is a plague on New York City’s streets. It’s not as bad as it once was thanks to the recent expansion of speed cameras, and the city’s newfound ability to set its own speed limits through the long-overdue statute called Sammy’s Law. Each of those measures is saving lives.
But a small number of drivers appear to remain impervious to the new climate. In late March, one repeat offender who was racing along killed a mother and her two young daughters, in a tragedy that should hold the city’s attention every bit as much as a shove onto the subway tracks or a gun homicide. The driver may only be charged with manslaughter, not murder, but that’s neither here nor there to a family destroyed and the larger community suffering.
There’s a partial policy answer to such recklessness, and Sen. Andrew Gounardes drafted it: Legislation would require a speed-limiting device to be installed in the cars of drivers who have six or more camera-issued speeding tickets in a 12-month period. Chronically reckless drivers like the woman who killed the two little girls and their mom can and must continue to have their licenses suspended, but irresponsible people are likely to keep driving even without a license — so, belt and suspenders, we need to do more.
A speed-limiter doesn’t take away anyone’s basic freedom. A driver can still get in his or her vehicle and go where they need to go (provided they still have legal permission to drive). They simply cannot do so in a way that’s likely to threaten pedestrians or bicyclists or other motorists — which is to say, speeding with impunity.
Speeding is a factor in roughly a third of car crashes. And it makes all the difference when someone is struck. At 23 mph, 10% of struck pedestrians will die and 25% will suffer serious injuries. At 30 mph, 25% will die and 50% will be severely injured. At 40 mph, half of struck pedestrians will die. If the vehicle in question is a full-sized SUV weighing more than 5,000 pounds, death is even likelier.
For the super speeder bill to become law, it needs to keep moving through the Senate; fortunately, Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins has sent some promising signals that she believes in the legislation’s basic logic. Then it needs to get through the state Assembly, where Speaker Carl Heastie has so far been silent.
Getting around on wheels comes with responsibilities to others who share the roads and sidewalks. A driver behind the controls of a two-wheeled moped must face consequences for chronically running red lights or otherwise violating the rules. And a driver behind the steering wheel of a much heavier four-wheeled vehicle, which can snuff out lives in a split second, has an even heavier burden to act responsibly. Pass the Stop Super Speeders bill with all deliberate speed.
