NYC's Most Ticketed Drivers Aren't Paying Up – And Many Are Getting Away With It

A new study out of New York City shows that drivers who accumulate tons of tickets for speeding are getting away with not paying them — and are driving around the city without consequence. Data journalist Michael Cahana found in his "Tens of Thousands of Recidivist Speeders Evaded The Law Last Year" study in September 2025 that the more speeding violations drivers have, the less likely they are to pay.

The data looked specifically at instances of speeding in school zones and shows that there's an 80% chance that drivers with one to five tickets will pay them off. However, drivers with over 100 violations are the least likely to pay these fines. But how are they getting away with speeding in school zones hundreds of times without consequence? Cahana believes these repeat offenders have learned how to play the city's fine system. They've discovered a loophole that allows them to continue speeding without fear of the law.

The issue is with New York City's laws. Currently, drivers with over $350 in fines that don't pay within 75 days will be considered "in judgment." Drivers who are in judgment should have their vehicle booted and then towed within 48 hours if the debt isn't paid. This would be successful in stopping drivers from speeding if the rules were actually enforced. Cahana's research found that thousands of speed demons enter judgment a month, never pay off the debt, but are not booted or towed.

Not only are these drivers getting away without paying the debt, but the investigation also found that these drivers speed again while in judgment. In fact, over 50% of drivers in judgment speed again, which Cahana notes are violations that would have never happened if New York City enforced its own laws and towed those vehicles. The city has lost $23 million in revenue by not collecting these debts, but, more importantly, these drivers continue to speed through school zones, and they aren't even trying to be sneaky about it. There are, however, some drivers out there who will have evaded this study altogether by using ghost plates.