Upstate New York School Zone Cameras Issue Nearly 13,000 Tickets

In just 10 days one Upstate New York School zone camera system issued 12,895 tickets to drivers going more than 10 mph over the 20-mph speed limit.

October was a historic month in New York when it comes to dealing with drivers who violate traffic laws across the state including speeding and running red lights when New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed legislation to increase road safety across New York State. Eleven bills were signed into legislation including the extension of existing red light camera programs, establishing a new red light camera program in the Hudson Valley, and giving the City of Kingston, NY the go-ahead on a speed camera pilot program in select school zones.

Speed Cameras in New York School Zones

One school zone in Upstate New York has already begun issuing tickets with its newly installed radar speed enforcement cameras similar to the ones that will soon be installed in select school zones in Kingston. The Albany School District started the 24/25 school year informing drivers that speed cameras have been installed in school zones across the district and drivers should slow down to avoid receiving a ticket in the mail.

SEE ALSO: New Speed Camera Pilot Program Coming to Ulster County

The school district turned eight of the planned 20 cameras on as school started and informed drivers that if they were caught speeding in any school zones they would receive a warning in the mail during the 30-day grace period. The grace period ended on October 7th and that's when the district began issuing tickets to drivers that came with a $50 fine.

Thousands of Tickets Issued in Upstate New York

According to Upstate New York, the school's camera system issued a staggering 12,895 tickets to drivers going more than 10 mph over the 20-mph speed limit from Oct. 7th, through Oct. 21. The massive number of tickets even surprised city officials with one saying he was astonished by the early results. The school zone cameras are live every school day from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. and any driver that is recorded going faster than 30 mph speed limit will receive a citation in the mail for a $50 fine. The citation will also include a link to view a video of the violation.

Violations captured on a camera are not reported to the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles or a driver’s auto insurance company.

Where Does All the Money from Fines Go?

The City of Albany gets $17 of each $50 violation with the camera vendor company keeping the rest.