New York is on the verge of making some chronically speeding vehicles slow their roll, as Governor Kathy Hochul prepares on Wednesday to sign a measure aimed at slowing down so-called “super speeders” into law. As a result, soon enough, some Empire State drivers will be required to install intelligent speed assistance devices in their vehicles.
The Stop Super Speeders Act, officially known as Senate Bill S4045C, was passed by the New York State Assembly on Tuesday, May 26, as part of the state budget. Sponsored by state senator Andrew Gounardes (D-Brooklyn) and assembly member Emily Gallagher (D-Brooklyn), the final version of the Stop Super Speeders Act implements mandatory speed governors for drivers with 16 or more school zone speed camera violations in 12 months. New York City drivers with 16 or more speed camera violations will be required to purchase and install the speed limiter, which must then remain in the vehicle for at least 12 months.
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Governor Hochul is expected to sign the New York State Budget on Wednesday, codifying the speed-limiting devices into law. “Speed is one of the leading causes of serious injury and death on New York City streets, with repeat offenders posing an outsized risk to pedestrians, cyclists, and families,” the governor said earlier this year. “This pilot will directly target the most dangerous driving behavior, helping prevent tragedies before they happen and making city streets safer for everyone.”
The speed-limiting devices offer alerts or even actively limit acceleration when the speed limit is exceeded. The newly passed legislation specifically focuses on active speed limiters that do not allow the driver to exceed the speed limit by more than a few miles per hour. The technology has been commonplace in Europe since 2024, and is gaining traction at a federal level as well; in addition, over 7000 New York City fleet vehicles already feature intelligent speed assistance devices.
The enforcement process of these speed-limiting devices is strict. “Super speeders” who rack up 16 or more school zone camera tickets within 10 years of their initial offense can be forced to reinstall the speed governor for 24 months. A third round of speed camera tickets within 15 years requires the speed governor to be installed for 36 months, while a fourth round mandates an indefinite installation. Department of Motor Vehicles branches in the five boroughs will be responsible for notifying offending drivers of their speed limiter requirements. Failure to comply with the speed governor mandate can lead to the revocation of vehicle registration. Drivers will be able to contest the speed limiter in court before installation, however.
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“We’ve seen this proven approach work in other places and in New York City’s own municipal fleet. I wrote the law to ensure real accountability for the most dangerous drivers. It applies to a small percentage of all vehicles on our streets, but it will have an outsized impact on safety. We owe nothing less to all those who have lost a loved one to reckless driving,” state senator Gounardes said.
The legislation does provide carve-outs for certain classes of drivers: state and city-owned vehicles, New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission vehicles, and commercial vehicles used by two or more people are all exempt from the legislation. The legislation is focused on individual drivers, meaning that offending operators will be required to install speed governors in all vehicles registered to their name. Similarly, the DMV is deputized to deny registration changes if it suspects the sole purpose is to evade installation of the devices.
Installing a speed-limiting device is estimated to cost around $1500, though interest-free payment plans or even completely free devices will be available to lower-income New Yorkers. Offending drivers who fail to install the governor can be fined anywhere from $1500 to $2500 before their registration is ultimately suspended. Tampering with the device can also lead to hefty fines, extended time with the device installed, and a one-year registration suspension.
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A series of fatal incidents in New York City catalyzed the legislation. The driver responsible for a particularly gruesome crash in 2025 that killed a mother and her two children in Brooklyn had amassed 90 camera tickets, and was speeding through a red light at the time. While New York City drivers are the primary focus of the act, localities outside the city can also require speed limiter devices for the top one percent of drivers who receive speed camera violations. Notably, the use of speed cameras as part of the initiative means that enforcement is seemingly focused on specific drivers and their vehicle registration, not the traditional driver’s license point system.
Speed-limiting devices will become mandatory a year after Governor Hochul signs the state budget. State legislators estimate that around 18,000 drivers will be impacted by the new speed governor requirement, though previous versions of the bill threatened to include 150,000 drivers statewide. Studies claim that speed limiters have reduced traffic deaths by 37 percent in certain applications.
A New York transplant hailing from the Pacific Northwest, Emmet White has a passion for anything that goes: cars, bicycles, planes, and motorcycles. After learning to ride at 17, Emmet worked in the motorcycle industry before joining Autoweek in 2022 and Road & Track in 2024. The woes of alternate side parking have kept his fleet moderate, with a 2014 Volkswagen Jetta GLI and a BMW 318i E30 street parked in his Queens community.