Mayor Mamdani’s sweeping Sammy’s Law expansion means safer drop-offs, pickups, and walks to school across all five boroughs.
At a Glance
- New York City plans to lower speed limits near hundreds of additional schools this year
- The change is part of a citywide expansion of Sammy’s Law
- The goal is to reach every eligible K–12 school location across the five boroughs
- Officials say even small speed reductions can dramatically reduce severe injuries in crashes
- Additional street safety upgrades are planned near some school intersections
NYC Will Lower Speed Limits to 15 MPH Near Every Eligible School
If you have a child in school, you’ve more than likely watched cars speed past your child or their friends at the school corner. Unfortunately, car accidents and students being hit by cars outside of school are not rare occurrences.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani and NYC Department of Transportation Commissioner Mike Flynn announced today that the city will reduce speed limits to 15 MPH at every eligible school location across all five boroughs by the end of the mayor’s first term.
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What’s Changing and When
More than 800 additional school locations will see speed limits drop to 15 MPH this year alone, bringing the total to roughly 1,300 school locations with these reduced limits by the end of 2026.
The longer-term goal is even bigger. The administration plans to expand 15 MPH School Slow Zones to all 2,300 eligible school locations across the city. That includes public, private, parochial, and charter schools, K through 12.
Which ones happen first will depend on the available safety data, along with any other street safety improvements that are already planned for the area.
Why 15 MPH?
You might wonder whether five or ten miles per hour really makes that much of a difference. According to city officials, it absolutely does. A pedestrian struck at 25 MPH is more than three times as likely to be seriously injured than one struck at 15 MPH.
NYC DOT Commissioner Flynn noted that speeding is the leading cause of traffic deaths, and that even a small speed reduction can mean the difference between life and death in a crash.
The Story Behind the Law
This expansion is made possible by Sammy’s Law, named after Sammy Cohen Eckstein, a 12-year-old Brooklyn boy who was struck and killed by a speeding driver in 2013. His mother, Amy Cohen, founded Families for Safe Streets and has spent years fighting for safer speeds on city streets. The law, passed in spring 2024, gave New York City the authority to lower speed limits below the state default, something advocates had been seeking for over a decade.
I lived across from an intensely busy corner outside a school in Brooklyn, where cars sped and haphazardly turned on students as they crossed the street, on a daily basis. Years ago, my son and I were hit by a car after school while crossing the street to go home, with a crossing guard there, and with a green light. Thankfully, we recovered, but the memory of it will always remain.
What to Expect Near Your School
Beyond lowering speed limits, NYC DOT says it will keep improving streets and intersections near the most dangerous school areas. That includes adding speed humps, hardened daylighting, and other safety features that help slow drivers down and make the streets safer.
For more on street safety resources and family-friendly transportation tips in NYC, visit nyc.gov/dot.
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