A new study by NYU Tandon School of Engineering finds that New York City’s speed cameras significantly reduce traffic crashes and speeding violations, providing vital data for improving road safety.
New York City’s automated speed cameras have been remarkably effective at reducing traffic crashes and speeding violations. Research conducted by NYU Tandon School of Engineering’s C2SMARTER center reveals that these cameras have decreased traffic crashes by 14% and reduced speeding violations by 75% from 2019 to 2021.
This significant reduction in speeding is particularly noteworthy given that speeding contributes to roughly one-third of all motor vehicle fatalities in the United States. The findings suggest that the implementation of these cameras could potentially save hundreds of lives in New York City, the nation’s most densely populated metropolis.
“Our research methodology provided an in-depth short-term and long-term analysis of these cameras, taking into consideration the continuous installation of new cameras,” lead author Jingqin Gao, an assistant director of research at C2SMARTER, said in a news release.
Published in Transportation Research Interdisciplinary Perspectives, the study tracked over 1,800 speed cameras installed in school zones across NYC from 2019 to 2021. Unlike the NYC Department of Transportation’s (NYC DOT) 2024 report, which provided citywide statistics, the C2SMARTER study offered a granular look at both spatial and temporal patterns.
“By tracking each camera’s performance over time, we uncovered spatial and temporal patterns that may be less visible in citywide data, providing officials additional insights on the longitudinal effects and more strategic positioning of future cameras to maximize the program’s effectiveness,” Gao added.
The effectiveness of the cameras typically became pronounced within six months, varying greatly across different neighborhoods. The research identified distinct patterns: some cameras consistently reduced violations, others saw a surge in speeding tickets during the COVID-19 pandemic, while a few achieved long-term compliance within 1.5 years.
“Our long-term analysis identified four distinct patterns in how specific camera installations performed,” Gao added. “Cameras at some locations showed consistent reductions at varying magnitudes in two groups, with a surge in speeding tickets during COVID. A third group exhibited a relatively modest effect but nearly curbed speeding behaviors within 1.5 years, despite COVID-19 impacts, and a small set of camera sites saw marginal impact in the first few months but experienced dramatic COVID-era speeding increases.”
“Our short-term analysis also provided evidence of a ‘time-lag effect,’ where driver compliance improved gradually rather than immediately after installation,” he continued.
The Survival Analysis with Random Effect (SARE) method was an essential tool in this research, enabling the team to model time intervals between crashes rather than simply counting them — a novel approach that could revolutionize traffic safety evaluation.
“The SARE method can accommodate the different implementation dates of speed cameras,” co-author Di Yang, a NYU alumnus who is now an assistant professor at Morgan State University, said in the news release.
These nuanced findings have far-reaching implications for policymakers and urban planners. Instead of a uniform approach, the study advocates for data-driven strategies that align enforcement with tailored engineering solutions for specific locations.
“This isn’t just about issuing tickets,” added co-author Kaan Ozbay, director of C2SMARTER and a professor in the NYU Tandon Civil and Urban Engineering Department. “It’s about using data analytics and advanced statistical methods to save lives on our streets, especially in dense urban areas where a single speeding vehicle can have devastating consequences.”
This study contributes to C2SMARTER’s work to enhance the safety and efficiency of NYC’s transportation systems. Among its many projects, the Center has developed a “digital twin” of Harlem with the NYC Fire Department to reduce emergency response times and implemented weigh-in-motion technology to extend the Brooklyn Queens Expressway’s lifespan.
Source: NYU Tandon School of Engineering