Over 2,000 Southern Tier Tickets During Speed Awareness Week
According to a report by Pat Giblin of Binghamton Homepage, speed awareness week in New York resulted in over 2,000 traffic tickets being handed out in the Southern Tier.
It seems a few Southern Tier residents didn't heed my warning from early last week when I told them to lay off the gas pedal for a few days. Law enforcement agencies across the state took aim at speeders in New York as part of a campaign to decrease unsafe driving habits. According to a report by Hailie Higgins of Rochester First, speed was a contributing factor in almost 30% of crashes from 2016 through 2021 and was a factor in 353 fatal crashes in 2021 alone.
So law enforcement agencies told everyone they would be targeting speeders for a week and it seems a lot of people missed that memo. Per Giblin's report, New York State Police issued 25,199 total traffic tickets across the state, with 2,296 of them coming from the Southern Tier.
Not every ticket was specifically for speeding though. Law enforcement agencies also took aim at aggressive, impaired, or distracted drivers, drivers who weren't using their seatbelt properly, and drivers who didn't move over when passing emergency vehicles stopped on the road. 1,491 of the tickets in the Southern Tier were issued for speeding violations.
When Governor Kathy Hochul announced Speed Awareness Week, she stated "There are countless risks and tragic consequences to speeding. This enforcement campaign will be crucial not only to catch speeders but also to encourage all drivers to maintain safe speeds on our roadways, and I encourage all New Yorkers to take your time and get to your destination safely."