Senator Gounardes: Passing Sammy’s Law Will Be a Long-Overdue Win for New York City’s Children

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: APRIL 19, 2024

New York State Senator Andrew Gounardes released the following statement today in response to news that Sammy’s Law will be included in this year’s New York State budget, allowing New York City to lower its speed limit to 20 miles per hour. The legislation is named after Sammy Cohen Eckstein, a 12-year-old boy who was fatally struck by a car in Prospect Park in 2013:

“Passing Sammy's Law will be a major, long-overdue win for New York City, for the tireless advocates who have fought for this for years, and most importantly, for our children.

“For years, New York City’s speed limits have been controlled by politicians hundreds of miles away in Albany. The consequences have been deadly. We know that higher speed limits create less safe streets: a person hit by a car traveling 35 mph is five times more likely to die than a person hit by a car traveling 20 mph. 

“I'm so proud to have supported this legislation to finally let New York City set its own speed limits, enabling the city to set safer speeds near schools, senior centers, dangerous intersections, and other places.

“There’s nothing we can do to bring back Sammy or the hundreds of other children whose lives were cut short by reckless drivers and unsafe street design. But by passing Sammy’s Law, we will take one crucial step toward creating a city where all children—and all New Yorkers—are safe on our streets.

“Thank you to my colleagues Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal and Assemblymember Linda Rosenthal, along with the tireless advocates at Families for Safe Streets and other organizations for their work to get us to this point.”

Press Contact:

Billy Richling

Communications Director

State Senator Andrew Gounardes

billy@senatorgounardes.nyc

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