Speed cameras are somewhat controversial. It’s one thing to be pulled over by a police officer who saw you speeding and got a speed reading from a radar gun. But it can feel very different if you simply get mailed a ticket because a camera took a picture of your vehicle.
For instance, maybe you know that you were driving safely and responsibly, always sticking to the speed limit, but you might’ve slightly gone over that limit when you were going down a hill. A police officer wouldn’t have reasonably given you a ticket, but the camera doesn’t take any of that into account. It just snaps a picture and reports the violation.
They are legal in New York, but are often restricted
Like other states, New York doesn’t prohibit the use of speed enforcement cameras. You could theoretically be given a ticket this way, although it is much more common to simply be pulled over by a police officer in a squad car. This is because there are a lot of restrictions on speed cameras. For instance, they are only allowed to be used in school zones. This is done to protect children. School zones also commonly have much lower speed limits than the roads around them, which is probably why this type of enforcement is seen in such a different light.
It is worth noting that these cameras are on 24 hours a day. They also run all week. So, you could get a speeding ticket in a school zone at 9 o’clock in the evening on a Sunday, for instance, even though that is well after school hours and not a school day.
What options do you have?
Whenever you get a speeding ticket, whether it’s from a camera or a police officer, you should consider all of the legal options at your disposal. There are sometimes ways that you can fight a ticket or try to have a citation dropped. Be sure you know what steps to take and seek legal guidance if you need assistance and/or clarifications concerning your rights.
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