Sammy's Law does not require lower speed limits; rather, it just permits New York City to do so. The city's Department of Transportation is likely to begin its speed limit reduction efforts on the streets with the highest crash rates, many of which occur in low-income communities of color.
Sammy's Law is a New York City law being talked about in the media this year, led by a determined mother who tragically lost her 12-year-old son Sammy in an accident more than a decade ago.
What makes Sammy's Law so important? Activists have gone as far as going on a hunger strike to urge the State Assembly to enact a law allowing New York City to lower some speed limits from the current 25 miles per hour limit to 20. Why did they go this far? Well, in New York City, 96 kids have died in traffic accidents since Sammy's death more than ten years ago, and even more fatal accidents take place each day on streets where speed limits are just 25 mph.
