New York, NY – Assemblymember Linda B. Rosenthal (D/WF-Manhattan) released the following statement in response to the announcement of Sammy’s Law (A7266-A/S2422-B), her legislation granting New York City the authority to lower its own speed limits, being included in the 2024-25 New York State Budget:

“The goal of Sammy’s Law has been clear from the beginning: to save lives. For each one mile-per-hour reduction in a vehicle’s speed, the chances of a crash becoming fatal are reduced by 17%. As the Assembly sponsor, I could not be prouder to see this vital traffic safety measure included in our final New York State budget. When 12-year-old Sammy Cohen Eckstein was hit and killed by a speeding driver in 2013, it ignited a movement to end traffic violence, and we know that lowering speed limits is one of the best tools to achieve this goal. Through the tireless work of Sammy’s mother, Amy Cohen, his grandmother, Joan Dean, and the entire Families for Safe Streets coalition, we have achieved a tremendous victory that will save lives. No family should ever have to experience the pain of losing a loved one in a preventable crash, and Sammy’s Law will help to prevent tragedies like this from occurring in the future.”