August 2026 brought 52,896 traffic tickets returnable to Nassau and Suffolk courts, a drop of 2,941 tickets, or -5.3%, from the 55,837 recorded in August 2025, according to the New York State DMV’s Traffic Tickets Issued: Four Year Window dataset on data.ny.gov. The same courts recorded 55,821 tickets in July 2026, the DMV data show.
The sharpest year-over-year gain among tracked violations was in Move Over law tickets — up 119.6% — while speeding and phone-use tickets each fell by double-digit percentages compared with August 2025.
Move Over tickets more than doubled from August 2025
Tickets for failing to use due care for stopped emergency or hazard vehicles (VTL 1144-a) rose to 336 in August 2026 from 153 in August 2025, a gain of +119.6%, according to the New York State DMV. Tickets for failing to yield to an emergency vehicle (VTL 1144) also rose, from 65 in August 2025 to 119 in August 2026, a change of +83.1%, the DMV data show.
Selected violations, Nassau and Suffolk courts, August 2026 vs August 2025
| Violation (VTL section) | August 2026 | August 2025 | Change | Change (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Registration, insurance or inspection (VTL 401, 306, 512; VTL 319) | 9,684 | 10,651 | -967 | -9.1% |
| Unlicensed or suspended-license driving (VTL 509, 511) | 5,244 | 5,753 | -509 | -8.8% |
| Speeding (VTL 1180) | 5,056 | 5,786 | -730 | -12.6% |
| Window tint or windshield obstruction (VTL 375-12-a) | 3,467 | 2,780 | +687 | +24.7% |
| Disobeyed a traffic device (VTL 1110-a) | 2,587 | 2,640 | -53 | -2% |
| Failed to stop at a stop sign (VTL 1172-a) | 2,159 | 2,092 | +67 | +3.2% |
| Unsafe lane change or weaving (VTL 1128) | 2,122 | 1,974 | +148 | +7.5% |
| Using a phone or portable electronic device (VTL 1225-c, 1225-d) | 1,425 | 1,746 | -321 | -18.4% |
| Seat belt or child restraint (VTL 1229-c) | 1,039 | 1,226 | -187 | -15.3% |
| Passed a red signal or red arrow (VTL 1111-d) | 582 | 570 | +12 | +2.1% |
| Alcohol or drug-impaired driving (VTL 1192) | 533 | 625 | -92 | -14.7% |
| Move Over law: failed to use due care for stopped emergency or hazard vehicles (VTL 1144-a) | 336 | 153 | +183 | +119.6% |
| Failed to yield to an emergency vehicle (VTL 1144) | 119 | 65 | +54 | +83.1% |
| Failed to yield to or use due care for pedestrians (VTL 1151-a, 1146) | 75 | 62 | +13 | +21% |
| Passing a stopped school bus (VTL 1174) | 2 | 3 | -1 | -33.3% |
Speeding and phone tickets both declined
Speeding tickets (VTL 1180) totaled 5,056 in August 2026, down from 5,786 in August 2025, a change of -12.6%, according to the New York State DMV. Phone and portable electronic device tickets (VTL 1225-c, 1225-d) fell to 1,425 from 1,746, a drop of -18.4%. Seat belt and child-restraint tickets (VTL 1229-c) fell to 1,039 from 1,226, a change of -15.3%. Within speeding, the DMV data show 62 school-zone speeding tickets (VTL 1180-c) and 22 work-zone speeding tickets (VTL 1180-f) issued in August 2026.
Alcohol or drug-impaired driving tickets (VTL 1192) totaled 533 in August 2026, compared with 625 in August 2025, a change of -14.7%, the DMV data show. Additional detail on impaired-driving enforcement appears in the Long Island DWI log.
Unregistered motor vehicle was the top single violation
The single most-ticketed violation in Nassau and Suffolk courts in August 2026 was UNREGISTERED MOTOR VEHICLE (VTL 4011A), at 2,896 tickets, according to the New York State DMV. UNINSPECTED MOTOR VEHICLE (VTL 306B) ranked second at 2,820 tickets, and UNLICENSED OPERATOR (VTL 5091) ranked third at 2,762 tickets.
Most-ticketed violations, Nassau and Suffolk courts, August 2026 (DMV descriptions)
| Rank | VTL code | DMV description | Tickets | Share of all tickets (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4011A | UNREGISTERED MOTOR VEHICLE | 2,896 | 5.5 |
| 2 | 306B | UNINSPECTED MOTOR VEHICLE | 2,820 | 5.3 |
| 3 | 5091 | UNLICENSED OPERATOR | 2,762 | 5.2 |
| 4 | 1110A | DISOBEYED TRAFFIC DEVICE | 2,587 | 4.9 |
| 5 | 1180B | SPEED OVER 55 ZONE | 2,248 | 4.2 |
| 6 | 3191U | OPERATING W/O INSURANCE | 2,200 | 4.2 |
| 7 | 1172A | FAILED TO STOP AT STOP SIGN | 2,157 | 4.1 |
| 8 | 37512A2 | SIDEWINGS/SIDEWINDOWS/NON/TRANSPARENT | 1,849 | 3.5 |
| 9 | 1180D | SPEED IN ZONE | 1,729 | 3.3 |
| 10 | 1402CII | MOTOR CARRIER OPERATING VEHICLE IN VIOLATION OF SAFETY RULES | 1,406 | 2.7 |
Window tint tickets rose sharply while registration-related tickets fell
Window tint and windshield obstruction tickets (VTL 375-12-a) climbed to 3,467 in August 2026 from 2,780 in August 2025, a gain of +24.7%, according to the New York State DMV. Registration, insurance and inspection tickets (VTL 401, 306, 512; VTL 319) fell to 9,684 from 10,651, a change of -9.1%.
State Police issued far fewer tickets than a year earlier
New York State Police issued 4,740 tickets in August 2026, down -19.5% from 5,886 in August 2025, according to the New York State DMV. Suffolk County Police issued 17,671 tickets, a change of -6% from 18,790. Nassau County Police issued 16,364 tickets, down -3.4% from 16,940. Town, village and city police issued 13,101 tickets, up +1.9% from 12,857. Other agencies — sheriffs, park police and others — issued 1,020 tickets, a change of -25.2% from 1,364.
Tickets by issuing agency, August 2026 vs August 2025
| Agency (grouped from DMV agency names) | August 2026 | August 2025 | Change (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Suffolk County Police | 17,671 | 18,790 | -6% |
| Nassau County Police | 16,364 | 16,940 | -3.4% |
| Town, village and city police | 13,101 | 12,857 | +1.9% |
| New York State Police | 4,740 | 5,886 | -19.5% |
| Other agencies (sheriffs, park police and others) | 1,020 | 1,364 | -25.2% |
Tuesdays averaged the most tickets per day in August 2026
Tuesday had the highest average per day of any weekday in August 2026 at 2,121.8 tickets per day, according to the New York State DMV’s Traffic Tickets Issued: Four Year Window data. Sunday averaged the fewest at 1,223.8 tickets per day. Tuesday had the most total tickets of any day at 8,487 — and its four occurrences in the month produced the higher daily average compared with Monday’s 8,197 tickets spread across five days.
Tickets by day of week, August 2026
| Day | Times in August | Tickets | Average per day |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | 5 | 8,197 | 1,639.4 |
| Tuesday | 4 | 8,487 | 2,121.8 |
| Wednesday | 4 | 7,595 | 1,898.8 |
| Thursday | 4 | 7,837 | 1,959.3 |
| Friday | 4 | 7,205 | 1,801.3 |
| Saturday | 5 | 7,456 | 1,491.2 |
| Sunday | 5 | 6,119 | 1,223.8 |
How we measured this
- Source: the New York State DMV file “Traffic Tickets Issued: Four Year Window” on data.ny.gov (dataset q4hy-kbtf), one row per ticket, last updated by the DMV on 2026-10-04, retrieved by Long Island Traffic on 2026-10-10.
- Long Island means tickets returnable to a court in Nassau County or Suffolk County, including each county’s Traffic and Parking Violations Agency, district courts and town and village courts.
- Months and weekdays are the violation dates the DMV records. Violation groups combine the DMV’s Vehicle and Traffic Law (VTL) codes as shown in the table; agency groups combine the DMV’s agency names (each State Police station is counted under New York State Police).
- A month is reported only after the DMV file was updated at least 30 days after the month ended, and only if its total is at least 80% of the same month a year earlier.
Limitations
- These are tickets, not drivers, traffic stops, arrests or convictions: one stop can produce several tickets, and the DMV says the file “cannot be used to determine convictions, dismissals or other aspects of ticket disposition.”
- Impaired-driving tickets (VTL 1192) are not a count of DWI arrests: one arrest often carries more than one 1192 ticket.
- The DMV describes the file as tickets issued to motorists; recent months can still change as tickets are entered.
- Violation groups follow the DMV’s codes; when a law changes, new or renamed codes can move tickets between groups or into a group, so a large change in one group may partly reflect coding.
- Court location shows where a ticket is answered, which is usually but not always where it was written.
- A change from one year to the next can reflect enforcement decisions, staffing or traffic, not only driver behavior; the file does not say which.