In a study conducted by the Journal News and published this week, Westchester, Putnam and Rockland Counties have been targeting extreme speeders on I-684, I-87, the Palisades Interstate Parkway, and the Taconic Parkway, among others. The highest speed on record was by a driver of an Acura on I-684 in Southeast who was clocked at 142 miles per hour, and who ended up paying fines of $455.00 for a Putnam speeding ticket of going 95 in a 65 m.p.h zone. Seven drivers have been charged with driving an eye opening 130 m.p.h or faster in 2006 and 2007 in the Lower Hudson Valley, with I-684 leading the way with the most speeders. This is not surprising, as I-684, which stretches from Harrison to Brewster, is a wide and straight road, and speeds have been increasing after the speed limit was raised to 65 mph several years ago.
Notable speeders include rapper DMX, who was clocked at 104 mph on I-684, only to be exceeded by his wife, who was stopped doing 106 mph two years later. Records show that 11,210 drivers were convicted of New York speeding tickets on 684 in 2006 and 2007, more than any other highway in the Westchester, Putnam or Rockland counties. There were 104,259 drivers convicted of speeding during this two year period in the Lower Hudson Valley, with the average speeder going approximately 20 mph over the limit, but 452 drivers exceeding 100 mph.
A speeding conviction of 1-10 mph over the limit will get you 3 points on your license; 11-20 over nets you 4 points; 21-30 over will get you 6 points; 31-40 over results in 8 points, and 40 over or above means your driver's license is automatically suspended with 11 points being assessed by the DMV.
Of note, the top five roads and jurisdictions for 2006-2007 speeding convictions in the region were I-684 in Bedford with 4,976; the Palisades Parkway in Clarkstown with 2,631; I-87 in Greenburgh with 2,285; I-84 in Kent, with 2,267; and I-684 in North Castle with 2,231. The study found that the State police has the most speeding convictions in the region between 2006 and 2007. The top five departments in obtaining convictions were: The State police in Somers with 8,847; the State police in Haverstraw with 7,406; the White Plains Police Department with 6,642; the State Police in New Rochelle with 5,978; and the Westchester County Police with 5,163.
As a warning to our readers, although it is frequently possible for our New York traffic ticket lawyers to get speeding tickets reduced, and in many instances, get a reduction to a violation with the possibility of no points, be careful in Orange County, especially in places such as Walkill, where Town Justice Raymond Shoemaker, who was a state trooper earlier in his career, has sentenced drivers to up to 15 days in jail for driving 90 mph, 25 mph over the limit. The judge noted that there were several serious car accidents in his jurisdiction over the last 4 or 5 years, and stated: "It appears that it's mostly young, inexperienced drivers who are involved. How best do you think these kids are going to learn? Just to get a reduced speed, a fine, and a surcharge and away they go? If you're going to go that kind of speed, maybe they need a little reminder how serious what they have done is." This ought to send a chill down the spine of speeders in Judge Shoemaker's neck of the woods!
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Extreme Speeders Emphasis For Many Westchester Courts
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