By: Adam H. Rosenblum Esq. Published: 12/26/24
New York is a massive state, covering almost 55,000 square miles and each of the state's 62 counties is unique in its own way. Traffic tickets have always varied from county to county, and the pandemic sharply reduced the number of drivers on the road. Some traffic ticket violations have been slowly increasing since the lockdown was lifted, while others have continued declining.
Overall, traffic tickets in New York State declined by 35% last year, according to data from the Institute for Traffic Safety Management & Research. Some counties saw a substantially greater drop in total tickets, while others actually saw increases. Here is what our expert analysts found.
Montgomery Saw the Greatest Declines in Traffic Tickets
Surprisingly, the biggest declines in traffic tickets weren’t found in the most populous counties. Montgomery County experienced an almost 16% decline in tickets in 2023. Schoharie and Yates counties, which have even smaller populations, had a 15% and 9% drop, respectively.
Traffic Tickets in New York State: Greatest Decline in Tickets by County
| County | 2022 | 2023 | % Change |
| MONTGOMERY | 14,576 | 12,250 | -15.96% |
| SCHOHARIE | 6,172 | 5,246 | -15% |
| YATES | 3,486 | 3,172 | -9.01% |
| CAYUGA | 138,03 | 12,630 | -8.5% |
| GREENE | 16,266 | 15,355 | -5.6% |
| CLINTON | 19,469 | 18,798 | -3.45% |
| ULSTER | 47,485 | 46,255 | -2.59% |
| SARATOGA | 3,4484 | 3,3607 | -2.54% |
| WYOMING | 10,184 | 9,929 | -2.5% |
| WARREN | 16,335 | 16,069 | -1.63% |
Not All Tickets Declined at the Same Rate
Statewide, all traffic ticket violations did not decrease from 2022 to 2023. However, several counties noticeably wrote fewer tickets last year, especially for speeding, texting, and DWI.
Decrease in NY Speeding Tickets by County, 2022 - 2023
| County | 2022 | 2023 | % Change |
| MONTGOMERY | 4,577 | 3,361 | -46.3% |
| BRONX | 17,266 | 3,091 | -45.6% |
| SARATOGA | 9,695 | 7,023 | -39.0% |
| GREENE | 5,376 | 3,726 | -37.9% |
| BROOME | 10,859 | 9,935 | -8.51% |
| RICHMOND | 17,335 | 15,872 | -8.44% |
| KINGS | 19,960 | 18,441 | -7.61% |
| ALBANY | 12,686 | 11,708 | -7.71% |
| DUTCHESS | 20,734 | 19,435 | -6.27% |
| QUEENS | 27,354 | 26,078 | -4.66% |
When it came to texting while driving, 10 New York counties saw their share of citations reduced significantly. Delaware County, which typically sees fewer than 100 texting tickets in any given year, only issued 27 texting tickets in 2023. New York County, one of the counties with the most traffic tickets issued per year, even saw a 16% decrease in texting tickets during 2023.
Decrease in NY Texting Tickets by County, 2022 - 2023
| County | 2022 | 2023 | % Change |
| DELAWARE | 89 | 27 | -69.66% |
| GENESEE | 153 | 85 | -44.44% |
| LIVINGSTON | 30 | 18 | -40% |
| FULTON | 41 | 25 | -39.02% |
| CHENANGO | 130 | 21 | -58.0% |
| ESSEX | 102 | 71 | -30.39% |
| CLINTON | 166 | 129 | -22.29% |
| NEW YORK | 9,627 | 8,050 | -16.38% |
| ERIE | 1,558 | 1,350 | -13.35% |
| ALBANY | 1,754 | 1,530 | -12.77% |
Summonses for driving while impaired by drugs and/or alcohol (DWI) also declined in 2023, with the highest being 40% in Chautauqua. (Note that this does not include the total number of arrests for DWI; only the number of summonses written.) The most substantial decreases were predominantly in smaller counties, which typically see fewer than 500 drivers charged with the offense in a given year. For example, Lewis County had a 24% drop, although the numerical decrease was quite small, with 131 summonses in 2022 and just 99 in 2023.
Decrease in DWI Summonses in NY by County, 2012 - 2023
| County | 2022 | 2023 | % Change |
| CHAUTAUQUA | 811 | 680 | -40% |
| LEWIS | 131 | 99 | -24.43% |
| WYOMING | 308 | 236 | -23.38% |
| CORTLAND | 315 | 251 | -20.32% |
| ULSTER | 2,090 | 1,687 | -19.28% |
| ST. LAWRENCE | 530 | 430 | -18.87% |
| STEUBEN | 461 | 399 | -13.45% |
| MONROE | 2,474 | 2,173 | -12.17% |
| CHENANGO | 139 | 123 | -11.51% |
| HERKIMER | 304 | 276 | -9.21% |
Not All Counties Saw Declines
Some counties saw increases in either overall traffic tickets or certain offenses. St. Lawrence County had a surprising 65% increase in traffic tickets. Tioga, another less populous county, also had an almost 30% uptick in speeding tickets in 2023. On the other hand, New York County, which had been seeing a decrease in speeding tickets since 2020, had a 17% increase in 2023.
Increases in NY Speeding Tickets by County, 2022 - 2023
| County | 2022 | 2023 | % Change |
| ST. LAWRENCE | 3,418 | 5,637 | 64.92% |
| TIOGA | 2,484 | 3,213 | 29.35% |
| ROCKLAND | 8,648 | 10,786 | 24.72% |
| ONTARIO | 4,435 | 5,519 | 24.44% |
| OSWEGO | 4,835 | 5,843 | 20.85% |
| SCHENECTADY | 5,077 | 6,032 | 18.81% |
| OTSEGO | 2,773 | 3,257 | 17.45% |
| HERKIMER | 4,181 | 4,908 | 17.39% |
| NEW YORK | 10,883 | 12,774 | 17.38% |
| NIAGARA | 8,543 | 10,011 | 17.18% |
Texting tickets in New York State has also seen an increase in several counties, particularly Columbia with an almost 60% uptick. Nassau, one of the top 10 counties with the most traffic violations every year, also had a 45% increase in texting tickets in 2023.
Increases in NY Texting Tickets By County, 2022 - 2023
| County | 2022 | 2023 | % Change |
| COLUMBIA | 268 | 418 | 56.0% |
| HERKIMER | 78 | 117 | 50.0% |
| NASSAU | 335 | 455 | 35.8% |
| ONEIDA | 63 | 84 | 33.3% |
| ST. LAWRENCE | 238 | 309 | 29.8% |
| MONROE | 7 | 9 | 28.6% |
| NIAGARA | 176 | 199 | 13.1% |
| JEFFERSON | 137 | 149 | 8.8% |
| DUTCHESS | 252 | 268 | 6.3% |
| ONONDAGA | 126 | 132 | 4.8% |
Is There a Pattern to These Changes?
While each county has a reason for the changes, there is no immediately discernible pattern. Our analysts found that the decreases in traffic tickets could not be correlated to population size or median household income (as wealthier families may have been better able to work from home since the pandemic).
The only existing data point that had any relationship to the decline of traffic tickets was the decline of automobile accidents in each county. Overall, New York State only saw 3% fewer car crashes in 2023, which is a steep contrast to the decline during 2020. Additionally, the list of counties with the biggest decline in car accidents is largely similar to the list of counties with the largest decline in traffic tickets.
NY Counties With the Greatest Decline in Auto Accidents, 2022- 2023
| County | 2022 | 2023 | % Change |
| GREENE | 1,725 | 1,419 | -17.74% |
| ONONDOGA | 12,741 | 11,113 | -12.78% |
| HERKIMER | 1,460 | 1,300 | -10.96% |
| CHEMUNG | 2,159 | 1,932 | -10.51% |
| CHENANGO | 1,391 | 1,247 | -10.35% |
| SENECA | 1,076 | 971 | -9.76% |
| ST. LAWRENCE | 3,302 | 3,059 | -7.36% |
| RENSSELAER | 4,134 | 3,831 | -7.33% |
| ALLEGANY | 1,152 | 1,061 | -7.9% |
| STEUBEN | 2,529 | 2,351 | -7.04% |
The rising number of traffic tickets in New York State following the pandemic highlights several implications. It suggests a potential increase in risky driving behaviors, possibly due to reduced road congestion during lockdowns and the return to normalcy causing drivers to feel less cautious. The uptick in tickets could also reflect heightened law enforcement efforts to maintain road safety after a period of reduced enforcement.
Additionally, this trend may exacerbate financial burdens on residents already struggling with economic challenges post-pandemic, raising concerns about the fairness and efficacy of traffic enforcement policies in the state's recovery.
