Watch CBS News

Over 4,800 Tickets Issued During NYPD Speeding Crackdown

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- The NYPD announced Thursday that officers issued nearly 5,000 tickets during a two-day crackdown on speeding in all of the city's five boroughs.

During the two-day crackdown between midnight Tuesday morning and midnight Thursday morning, police issued 4,814 speeding summonses.

Brooklyn led with the most tickets at 1,249, followed by 1,219 tickets for Queens, 1,175 tickets for Manhattan, 782 tickets for the Bronx, and 389 tickets for Staten Island.

The initiative was part of Mayor Bill de Blaiso's signature "Vision Zero" plan to eliminate pedestrian deaths.

The speeding initiative kicked off a day after police say speeding is suspected in a fatal crash Monday in Brooklyn that claimed the lives of 20-year-old Philbert Martin Williams and 18-year-old Christina Wipper.

It happened at the intersection of Flatbush Avenue and Avenue U just after 6:30 p.m.

Williams and Wipper were both in a Nissan Maxima heading south on Flatbush Avenue when they hit a BMW that was turning onto Avenue U, police said.

Wipper was pronounced at the scene, police said. Williams was taken to the hospital where he later died. The driver and passenger of the BMW were taken to the hospital with minor injuries.

Many in the neighborhood said earlier this week they welcomed the effort to crack down on speeders.

"Definitely, it's a good idea, especially on the city streets," said resident Robert Connaughton.

"I think it should be enforced not only 48 hours, but for quite a while," said resident James Usher.

The NYPD reminded drivers that the speed limit in New York City is 30 mph unless otherwise posted. Studies have shown that a pedestrian struck by a vehicle going 40 mph has an 80 percent chance of dying, while the odds drop to 45 percent if a driver is going 30 mph, and just 5 percent if a driver is going 20 mph.

The NYPD also reminded the public that new arterial slow zones have been set up where the speed limit drops to 25 mph, and school zones where the speed drops to 20 mph. Speed cameras are also in use around the city.

Fines for speeding range anywhere from $90 to $600 and drivers may also be penalized with 3 to 11 penalty "points" on their driver's licenses.

The NYPD says officers issued a total of 5,258 summonses during the last week's crackdown focusing on cell phone use while driving and failing to yield to pedestrians.

Check Out These Other Stories From CBSNewYork.com:

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.