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HEAVY-FOOTED drivers are being threatened with $100 fines after the number of speed cameras on a central highway doubled.
Drivers who routinely drive along Interstate 84 in New York will now need to pump the brakes and be extremely cautious of stealth speed cameras being installed.
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Cameras equipped with radar technology have been installed throughout New York State to clamp down on speeding drivers.
But, to protect work zones and construction crews, speed cameras are being installed along stretches of I-84 to ensure drivers obey the speed limits.
The stealth cameras are being positioned at work zones and areas where crews are fixing roads throughout New York, according to radio station 101.5 WPDH.
The New York Department of Transportation said the cameras are being installed to protect drivers and construction crews.
Read more in The U.S. Sun
No points are associated with the tickets, but drivers are being hit with stiff penalties.
First-time offenders will be fined $50.
However, second-time speeders will be hit with a $75 ticket.
If a vehicle is caught speeding three or more times within a year and a half, the owner will receive a staggering $100 fine.
The latest cameras to be set up are on the eastbound lane of I-84 in Orange County, according to 101.5 WPDH.
The radio station reported at least 27 active speed cameras throughout stretches of I-84 in New York State.
How to fight a speeding ticket
According to a legally reviewed post, there are five effective strategies to fighting a speeding ticket if it was wrongfully issued.
- If pulled over and issued a ticket, drivers can argue or dispute a driver’s personal opinion. When issuing a speeding ticket, an officer is required to write their opinion and come to an “objective” conclusion. If the ticket was written based on that judgment, it can be contested. An example would be if you were going 75 mph in a 65 mph zone because others were traveling at the same speed, you could argue that it would be more dangerous to travel at 65 mph.
- You can dispute the officer’s presentation of evidence. If you were ticketed for something like running a stop sign or making an illegal u-turn, you can’t contest that if an officer saw you, but you can call things into court like eyewitnesses, diagrams, or photos.
- Argue that the ticket was issued by a “mistake of fact.” This is tricky, but a “mistake of fact” is a mistake made by a driver about a situation that was beyond their control, or if a driver legitimately did not know they were violating the law. For example, you were driving in two lanes because the lane markers were so worn down that you could not see them.
- You could say circumstances justified your driving. You could say you were speeding to pass a possibly drunk driver, or avoiding an accident by rapidly changing lanes. However, the argument won’t work if there’s proof you continued to speed after passing.
- Similar to the above, it could be argued that speeding was necessary to avoid harm. The key is to argue that if you weren’t speeding, you or someone else could have been harmed.
- Consult a traffic attorney, if all else fails. Many have free consultations to decide whether or not there’s a case.
Source: FindLaw
‘AMERICA’S MOST HATED ROAD’
The I-84 section along Connecticut has notoriously been dubbed the most hated roadway by Reddit and X users.
“I’m sure you all have your least favorite roads, but I-84… What a ribbon of s**t,” one driver previously complained on X.
“Wipe it from the face of the f**king earth.”
Several other drivers complained about their highway experience on a Reddit thread.
“I experienced I-84 traffic in the Danbury area,” one Redditor reported.
“My gosh, I have seen exits eight through 10 completely backed up along with the state border exits of Danbury on the most random times of the day.”
The Redditor supposed that the traffic along the highway had gotten “worse” in the past five years.
State officials said the highway has become more dangerous recently – but they pointed the finger at drivers flouting road laws, according to the Hartford Courant.
“It’s what’s happening on all the interstates because it’s really attributed to drivers,” Josh Morgan, a spokesperson for the state’s Department of Transportation, told the publication.
“It’s just that cars are driving way too fast.”
More on I-84
Here are some more details on Connecticut’s I-84:
The highway spans just under 100 miles from the New York state line to the Massachusetts state line.
I-84 runs through major cities in Connecticut like Danbury, Waterbury, and Hartford.
Drivers can access other important arteries in the state from the highway, like I-684 and I-91.
The highway first started construction in 1958 and finished in the early 1980s with modest improvement projects.
Connecticut officials are working on expanding parts of the highway to a six-lane road in major metropolitan areas.
