You better take your foot off the gas a bit if you're driving on the New York State Thruway. Speed cameras are coming.

A pilot program will begin placing speed cameras in all works zones along the State Thruway. Part of legislation S.4682-B will "establish the efficacy of using automatic speed monitoring systems for enforcement."

The bill was signed by Governor Kathy Hochul on Labor Day.

“The general idea is to get people to slow down in work Zones," said co-sponsored by Senator Tim Kennedy. "There were dozens of catastrophic injuries and deaths last year in the state of New York across the country.”

New York State Police have been trying to get drivers to slow down in work zones with Operation Hard Hat. Troopers have been busting speeders with radar guns by dressing up as workers in construction zones.

Credit - NYSP
Credit - NYSP
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There were more than 3,400 accidents in work zones on NYS highways from 2010 to 2016, according to data from the New York State Department of Transportation. 50 people were killed in those crashes and over 1,100 were injured.

For every increase in speed of 6 miles per hour, the likelihood of an accident involving injury increases by 20%, according to the World Health Organization.

Stronger enforcement of speeding in work zones has the potential to significantly reduce both the incidence of motorist and worker fatalities while training better overall motorist behavior.

The new program takes effect immediately and will expire after 5 years. No word on when the new speed cameras will be installed.

Your best bet to avoid an expensive ticket, or worse, an accident that could injure or kill someone is to slow down! Especially in work zones.

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