ALBANY – State lawmakers are close to granting a grieving mother a big wish by passing “Sammy’s Law” to allow New York City to lower speed limits to 20 miles per hour before adjourning for the year on June 8.
The legislation is named after Sammy Cohen Eckstein, a 12-year-old boy fatally struck by a car in Prospect Park in October 2013 – a tragedy that inspired his mom Amy Cohen to become a street safety activist.
“It’s a long overdue measure,” she told The Post on Tuesday about the legislation first introduced in 2020.
“It should not take three years fighting on this bill.”
The bill appears likely to pass the state Senate and Assembly after New York City lawmakers passed a resolution formally requesting the measure – a missed step that doomed the bill last year.
State Sen. Brad Hoylman-Sigal (D-Manhattan), who is sponsoring the bill in his chamber, said the bill’s prospects were “looking good” though “nothing is done until it’s over the finish line.”
Traffic fatalities declined over the past decade as the city pursued a “Vision Zero” approach only to see rates rise again in recent years.
But that trend could change if the city adopts lower speed limits.
“Senators in Massapequa shouldn’t set the speed limit for Manhattan – or the reverse,” Hoylman-Sigal said while referencing the sway legislators from outside the city have over street-level matters within the five boroughs.
Assemblywoman Linda Rosenthal (D-Manhattan) did respond to a request for comment about the bill she is carrying in her chamber.
Research has shown traffic crash fatality rates spike after vehicles exceed 20 miles per hour, with a 70% higher likelihood of death for someone struck at 30 miles per hour compared to 25 miles per hour, according to ProPublica.
The pending bill would allow New York City to set a 20-mile-per-hour speed limit though higher speeds would still be allowed.
Getting the bill passed and signed into law would ensure that some good would come out of the death of Sammy, whose courage, outspokenness, and passion continue to inspire his mother nearly a decade later despite her grief.
“It’s a loss no parent should ever have to endure,” Cohen said.
“This is a preventable public health crisis and we know the solutions to put in place. We just need our leaders to have the political will to do it.”
