Can You Get a Speeding Ticket From E-Z Pass in New York?

After having an in-depth "conversation" the other day about speeding and getting tickets in the mail, I'm wondering if this is something that can or has ever happened to you.

By now most of us have realized that the days of stopping at a toll booth and paying a toll is a thing of the past. The majority of toll booths that once populated the sides of many Hudson Valley bridges and exits off the New York State Thruway have been replaced by toll gantries. The goal behind the "gantry" was a simple one, increase the flow of traffic on bridges and roads by not requiring drivers to have and stop to pay a toll.

Toll Booths No More in Hudson Valley

As toll booths disappeared, drivers were encouraged to sign up for e-z pass so that the toll charge could be deducted from your account anytime you drive underneath a gantry. If you don't sign up for it, the bridge or road you were driving on will send you a toll bill in the mail, pretty simple stuff. By now most of us are used to the new toll system but after having a conversation the other day with my girlfriend, I'm wondering if what she said was something that can happen or not.

Can E-Z Pass Give You a Speeding Ticket in New York?

The conversations couples have while driving are usually pretty basic, right? Sometimes those driving talks can lead to what happened to me over the weekend. We were crossing the Newburgh-Beacon Bridge on Sunday and as I crossed from Newburgh to Beacon she said something that were are still talking about today. As I got close to the toll gantry she said "Slow down" because if you go over the speed limit under the toll "thing" they can send you a ticket in the mail. Wait, WHAT?

Speeding underneath a toll gantry in New York can you get a ticket in the mail?

I disagreed with her and said I don't think that's how it works. She went on to tell me that back about ten years ago she remembers getting a ticket in the mail after speeding through an e-z pass either coming off the NYS Thruway or in New Jersey, she couldn't remember. As soon as I got home I started searching online to see if it was possible in 2023 to get a speeding ticket from e-z pass.

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It appears that this question has been asked many times over the years and back in 2014 Westchester Magazine shared the answer provided by the New York State Thruway Authority (NYSTA). They said, "The authority and state police do not use E-ZPass to enforce vehicle and traffic law." Over the years the NYSTA has sent out warning letters to drivers that may have been caught speeding but because New York state law says that anyone charged with speeding has to be observed/witnessed by a police officer.

Have you ever received a warning letter from e-z pass? Let us know through our station app.