07/03/2026
In May 2026, Gov. Kathy Hochul signed the “Stop Super Speeders” act into law as part of the FY2027 budget. The law targets speeders who have 16+ violations from red light and traffic cameras within 12 months and will require them to install Intelligent Speed Limiter devices in their cars.
“We have to protect people, and if someone is so flagrantly violating the laws that there’s a callous disregard of human life—that’s the only way I can describe it—there have to be consequences. There has to be” Hochul said during a press conference.
The devices used to limit speed utilize GPS technology, digital speed maps, and front-facing cameras wired into the vehicle to restrict its maximum speed to the posted speed limit. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), a study of Intelligent Speed Limiter devices found a 22% reduction in speed among drivers in Maryland who tested them over a four-week period.
Drivers with 16+ violations will have 45 days to install the device in their vehicles; if they fail to do so, they will lose their registrations. They may also face fines of $1,500 to $2,500 if it is not installed within those 45 days. Anybody caught tampering with their device will face the same fines, have their registration suspended for one year, and have to keep the device installed for a longer period.
“You should not be on the roads if you don’t care about whether or not you’re going to kill somebody” said Hochul.
New York will join Washington state, Virginia, and Washington, D.C. in employing the devices.
“We’ve seen this proven approach work in other places and in New York City’s own municipal fleet. I wrote the law to ensure real accountability for the most dangerous drivers. It applies to a small percentage of all vehicles on our streets, but it will have an outsized impact on safety. We owe nothing less to all those who have lost a loved one to reckless driving,” says state senator Andrew Gounardes, who proposed the bill and represents New York’s 26th district.
The Crashes that Motivated the Law
Several fatal crashes around New York City caused by drivers with multiple violations catalyzed the bill. A particularly brutal crash in Brooklyn in 2025, where a mother and her two young daughters were killed, was caused by a driver who had 90+ violations, including 18 in school zones. Miriam Yarimi, the driver, was sentenced to nine years in prison.
Source: New York City Police Department
So far in 2026, there have been 7,310 motor vehicle crashes in New York City, with 45% resulting in fatalities. 214 of these crashes were caused by unsafe speeds.
STATEN ISLAND DRIVERS VOICE THEIR CONCERNS
Many Staten Islanders are already opposed to the densely concentrated traffic cameras throughout the Island, finding them to be excessive and a cash grab. Staten Island often ranks second in per capita camera violation fines, despite being the least populous borough.
Since the “Stop Super Speeders” act was proposed with New York City in mind, many are concerned that this will also disproportionately affect Staten Islanders. Some also see it as government overreach.
One Staten Island driver, Susan Schultz, said, “It’s a result of [Staten Island] being targeted. So, if you get X amount of tickets, I think they said 16 in a period of time, they’re going to force you to have this device in your car. I don’t think that’s fair. Yes, driving is a privilege. Driving isn’t a right. But taking control of someone’s free will is not appropriate, and it can be used in the future in a way that they’re using it to start with.”
Schultz added: “I don’t believe that the real reason that they want to add these devices is because they’re trying to control speeding. I think it’s a stepping stone to control us, where it’ll be used eventually to control vehicles without the driver.”
Another driver, Sean Harden-Sandhu, finds the law to be excessive.
“Personally, as a driver with no violations and as a law student, I personally feel the installation of the device to be an extreme measure. Limiting a driver’s speed on a vehicle makes me fear what drivers with a ‘need for speed’ will do to scratch the itch. There must be a better solution out there.
Other drivers applaud the law.
“I feel like it’s fine because if you have 16+ violations, it’s clearly the driver who’s the problem, and this prevents them from causing any more harm on the road,” says Matthew Siracusa, “if you aren’t going super over the speed limit, you should be completely fine.”
The Stop Superspeeders Act will go into effect on May 27, 2027.
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