Lawmakers Want State DOT To Record Its Highway Cameras

Rockville Centre NY

27 July, 2021

1:47 PM

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VALLEY STREAM, NY — A growing concern about reckless driving on Long Island is leading some lawmakers to call for a piece of technology as a deterrent. There are miles of closed-circuit cameras operated by the state Department of Transportation along highways, in particular the Southern State Parkway. But the policy only permits recording on rare occasions. "Our law enforcement does not have the necessary tools that could be important to them and every tool at their disposal to help keep us safe," State Senator Todd Kaminsky said at a news conference Tuesday. Having video from those cameras, Kaminsky said, would deter drivers from acting recklessly. No law change is required, nor is legislation needed, just altering policy at the DOT, Kaminsky added. Kaminsky pointed to a crash on the Southern State earlier this month that killed a 75-year-old man in North Babylon as the impetus for taking action.