Speed limit in NYC set to be lowered to 20 mph

PARK SLOPE, Brooklyn (PIX11) – The death of a child on a Brooklyn street 12 years ago is bringing change to how New Yorkers drive.

Gov. Kathy Hochul announced on Thursday that Sammy’s Law will be passed in the upcoming state budget. It will allow New York City to set speed limits and lower it from 25 mph to 20 mph.

The bill is named after Sammy Cohen Eckstein, who was 12 years old when he was killed by a van driver in Park Slope as he went into the street to grab a soccer ball in October 2013. Over 100 more children have since been killed in traffic collisions in New York City, according to city crash data.

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Dropping speed limits by just 5 mph can help pedestrians survive being struck by a car, crash data shows.

New York City’s speed limit has been 25 mph for the past 10 years, when former Mayor Bill de Blasio persuaded state lawmakers to lower it from 30 mph, where it had stood since 1964.

The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety found pedestrians face a 10% risk of death when hit by a car traveling 23 miles per hour. Hochul vowed to sign the law with Sammy’s family in the coming days once the budget deal is finalized in Albany.

Erin Pflaumer is a digital content producer from Long Island who has covered both local and national news since 2018. She joined PIX11 in 2023. See more of her work here.

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