Governor Hochul Takes Action to Improve Traffic Safety and Protect New Yorkers

Signs Legislation to Enable Traffic-Light Cameras in Westchester County and Syracuse and School Zone Speed Cameras in Syracuse and Albany

Signs Legislation to Improve Existing Move Over Law to Include All Vehicles

 Governor Hochul took a series of actions to improve traffic safety across the state. This included signing legislation that enables Westchester County and the cities of Syracuse and Albany to install cameras at key intersections to enforce traffic light and school zones speeding violations, as well as improving the existing Move Over Law to protect drivers across the state.

“Keeping New Yorkers safe is my top priority, and traffic safety is no exception,” Governor Hochul said. “The legislation signed today will make streets across our state safer for drivers, cyclists, pedestrians and especially for our schoolchildren. Thank you to my partners in the legislature for their work in getting these bills to the finish line - New York is better for it.”

Governor Hochul signed the following bills, authorizing local entities to create traffic light and school zone speeding camera programs:

• Westchester Traffic Light Cameras (A7206B/S7026B)
• Syracuse Traffic Light Cameras (A6686/S6631)
• Albany School Zone Speed Cameras (A7043A/S6802A)
• Syracuse School Zone Speed Cameras (S6632/A6687A)

Under these new laws, the County of Westchester and the cities of Albany and Syracuse are authorized to implement programs that have been proven to decrease speeding while protecting drivers, cyclists and pedestrians.

Additionally, Governor Hochul today signed legislation (A1077/S5129), which improves the existing “move over” law requiring drivers to exercise due care to avoid vehicles stopped on the roadway, including by changing lanes. The current law has been in place since 2010 and is designed to prevent collisions with emergency vehicles. In the years since, the law has been expanded to cover hazard vehicles and other responder vehicles. However, personal vehicles stopped on the sides of highways remain a safety hazard. Nearly 300 drivers are struck and killed roadside every year, and 37 people were struck and killed outside of a disabled vehicle in New York from 2016-2020. This law expands the existing move over law to cover all vehicles stopped on the road.