Families for Safe Streets and safety advocates press council to back state ‘stop super‑speeders’ bill

At a New York City Council hearing on NYPD traffic enforcement, safety advocates and family members of crash victims urged the council to support state legislation requiring intelligent speed assistance (ISA) devices for repeat speed violators, and they asked the council to pass a resolution backing the bills in Albany.

Council staff identified Resolution 854 and two state bills the resolution references; advocates described cases of repeat speeders and presented city and national evidence that speed‑limiting technology can reduce fatalities. Speakers from Families for Safe Streets and the road‑safety nonprofit StreetsPAC told council members that a small group of repeat speeders causes a disproportionate share of deadly crashes.

“Speed limiters are the answer,” said Dahlia Goldemberg, associate director of Families for Safe Streets. Goldemberg cited research showing a small percentage of drivers — sometimes termed “super‑speeders” — are responsible for a large share of fatal crashes and urged the council to press the state to adopt ISA requirements for repeat violators.

Amber Adler, a crash survivor and local resident, described the March Ocean Parkway crash that killed a mother and two children and said a speed‑limiting device could have reduced the vehicle’s speed and likely prevented the vehicle from flipping. “This is a huge deal,” she told the committee, pressing the council to support the state bills and the resolution.

Advocacy groups and witnesses cited several data points: Transportation Alternatives’ analysis of the city’s speed‑camera data, a StreetsPAC review of high‑ticket vehicles, and a NYCDOT study showing that drivers with large numbers of camera violations are markedly more likely to be involved in crashes that cause death or serious injury. Eric McClure of StreetsPAC said the UK experience with ISA saw large reductions in fatal crashes and described a New York City fleet pilot that reduced hard‑braking events by roughly 36 percent.

Several witnesses described individual tragedies. Darnell Seeley McCrory testified that his 13‑year‑old daughter, Naelle McCrory, was struck and killed at an intersection in Manhattan last October. He urged the council to support the resolution and state bills as an immediate, implementable step to reduce repeat‑offender risk.

Council members asked NYPD and others about whether ISA would prohibit driving or otherwise burden legitimate drivers. Proponents emphasized ISA’s narrow design: it limits excessive speeding but does not prevent ordinary driving. NYPD witnesses acknowledged ISA as a potential tool and the chair’s resolution as a vehicle for council support while the council and state weigh broader regulatory and implementation questions.

Resolution 854 was read into the record by the hearing chair; the hearing did not record a council vote on the resolution. Advocates requested swift council endorsement to increase the likelihood the state legislature will take up the measure before session adjournment.