September 2026 brought 53,942 traffic tickets returnable to Nassau and Suffolk courts, down 421 tickets, or 0.8%, from 54,363 in September 2025, according to the New York State DMV’s ticket file. The September total compares with 53,489 in August 2026, the DMV file shows.
Speeding tickets rose to 5,382 from 5,050, and Move Over law tickets rose to 230 from 149, while phone and portable electronic device tickets fell to 1,308 from 1,580, DMV data show. These are ticket counts, not arrests, stops or convictions.
Speeding tickets rose to 5,382 as phone tickets fell to 1,308
Speeding (VTL 1180) tickets totaled 5,382 in September 2026, up 6.6% from 5,050 in September 2025, according to the New York State DMV.
The DMV file counts 577 school-zone speeding tickets (VTL 1180-c) and 27 work-zone speeding tickets (VTL 1180-f) in September 2026.
Tickets for using a phone or portable electronic device (VTL 1225-c, 1225-d) fell 17.2%, to 1,308 from 1,580, DMV data show. Seat belt or child restraint tickets dipped to 963 from 994, according to the DMV.
Alcohol or drug-impaired driving (VTL 1192) tickets numbered 457, down from 482 in September 2025, according to the New York State DMV. Those tickets are not a count of DWI arrests, because one arrest often carries more than one 1192 ticket. Arrest reports appear in the Long Island DWI log.
Selected violations, Nassau and Suffolk courts, September 2026 vs September 2025
| Violation (VTL section) | September 2026 | September 2025 | Change | Change (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Registration, insurance or inspection (VTL 401, 306, 512; VTL 319) | 10,125 | 10,259 | -134 | -1.3% |
| Unlicensed or suspended-license driving (VTL 509, 511) | 5,482 | 5,464 | +18 | +0.3% |
| Speeding (VTL 1180) | 5,382 | 5,050 | +332 | +6.6% |
| Window tint or windshield obstruction (VTL 375-12-a) | 3,559 | 2,656 | +903 | +34% |
| Disobeyed a traffic device (VTL 1110-a) | 3,100 | 2,724 | +376 | +13.8% |
| Failed to stop at a stop sign (VTL 1172-a) | 2,079 | 1,789 | +290 | +16.2% |
| Unsafe lane change or weaving (VTL 1128) | 1,980 | 1,926 | +54 | +2.8% |
| Using a phone or portable electronic device (VTL 1225-c, 1225-d) | 1,308 | 1,580 | -272 | -17.2% |
| Seat belt or child restraint (VTL 1229-c) | 963 | 994 | -31 | -3.1% |
| Passed a red signal or red arrow (VTL 1111-d) | 585 | 576 | +9 | +1.6% |
| Alcohol or drug-impaired driving (VTL 1192) | 457 | 482 | -25 | -5.2% |
| Move Over law: failed to use due care for stopped emergency or hazard vehicles (VTL 1144-a) | 230 | 149 | +81 | +54.4% |
| Failed to yield to an emergency vehicle (VTL 1144) | 90 | 64 | +26 | +40.6% |
| Failed to yield to or use due care for pedestrians (VTL 1151-a, 1146) | 83 | 83 | 0 | 0% |
| Passing a stopped school bus (VTL 1174) | 11 | 14 | -3 | -21.4% |
Move Over law tickets climbed 54.4%
Tickets under the Move Over law, for failing to use due care for stopped emergency or hazard vehicles (VTL 1144-a), rose 54.4%, to 230 from 149, according to the New York State DMV.
Tickets for failing to yield to an emergency vehicle (VTL 1144) rose to 90 from 64, a 40.6% increase, the DMV file shows. Tickets for passing a stopped school bus (VTL 1174) totaled 11, compared with 14 a year earlier, according to the DMV.
Window tint tickets jumped 34%, and disobeying a traffic device led all violations
Window tint or windshield obstruction tickets (VTL 375-12-a) rose 34%, to 3,559 from 2,656, according to the New York State DMV.
Disobeyed traffic device (VTL 1110A) was the most-ticketed single violation in September 2026, with 3,100 tickets, or 5.7% of all tickets, DMV data show. That compares with 2,724 a year earlier. Unregistered motor vehicle followed with 3,064 tickets, and uninspected motor vehicle had 2,984, according to the DMV.
Failed-to-stop-at-a-stop-sign tickets rose 16.2%, to 2,079 from 1,789, according to the New York State DMV.
Most-ticketed violations, Nassau and Suffolk courts, September 2026 (DMV descriptions)
| Rank | VTL code | DMV description | Tickets | Share of all tickets (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1110A | DISOBEYED TRAFFIC DEVICE | 3,100 | 5.7 |
| 2 | 4011A | UNREGISTERED MOTOR VEHICLE | 3,064 | 5.7 |
| 3 | 306B | UNINSPECTED MOTOR VEHICLE | 2,984 | 5.5 |
| 4 | 5091 | UNLICENSED OPERATOR | 2,789 | 5.2 |
| 5 | 1180B | SPEED OVER 55 ZONE | 2,271 | 4.2 |
| 6 | 3191U | OPERATING W/O INSURANCE | 2,193 | 4.1 |
| 7 | 1172A | FAILED TO STOP AT STOP SIGN | 2,079 | 3.9 |
| 8 | 37512A2 | SIDEWINGS/SIDEWINDOWS/NON/TRANSPARENT | 1,912 | 3.5 |
| 9 | 1402CII | MOTOR CARRIER OPERATING VEHICLE IN VIOLATION OF SAFETY RULES | 1,557 | 2.9 |
| 10 | 1180D | SPEED IN ZONE | 1,470 | 2.7 |
Nassau County Police tickets fell 13.9% as town and village police tickets rose
Nassau County Police wrote 15,210 tickets in September 2026, down 13.9% from 17,662 in September 2025, according to the New York State DMV.
Town, village and city police wrote 14,670 tickets, up 9.8% from 13,363, DMV data show. Suffolk County Police wrote 17,890 tickets, compared with 18,076 a year earlier, and New York State Police wrote 4,842, up from 4,526, according to the DMV.
Tickets by issuing agency, September 2026 vs September 2025
| Agency (grouped from DMV agency names) | September 2026 | September 2025 | Change (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Suffolk County Police | 17,890 | 18,076 | -1% |
| Nassau County Police | 15,210 | 17,662 | -13.9% |
| Town, village and city police | 14,670 | 13,363 | +9.8% |
| New York State Police | 4,842 | 4,526 | +7% |
| Other agencies (sheriffs, park police and others) | 1,330 | 736 | +80.7% |
By court, Nassau County courts received 29,299 tickets and Suffolk County courts received 24,643 in September 2026, according to the New York State DMV. A year earlier, Nassau courts had 30,007 and Suffolk courts had 24,356, the DMV file shows.
Tickets by month, Nassau and Suffolk courts, September 2025–September 2026
| Month | Nassau courts | Suffolk courts | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| September 2025 | 30,007 | 24,356 | 54,363 |
| October 2025 | 27,204 | 25,945 | 53,149 |
| November 2025 | 27,566 | 25,920 | 53,486 |
| December 2025 | 22,210 | 20,814 | 43,024 |
| January 2026 | 27,087 | 27,456 | 54,543 |
| February 2026 | 24,031 | 24,935 | 48,966 |
| March 2026 | 32,424 | 32,579 | 65,003 |
| April 2026 | 32,266 | 30,381 | 62,647 |
| May 2026 | 32,841 | 31,940 | 64,781 |
| June 2026 | 29,867 | 24,910 | 54,777 |
| July 2026 | 30,993 | 26,052 | 57,045 |
| August 2026 | 28,692 | 24,797 | 53,489 |
| September 2026 | 29,299 | 24,643 | 53,942 |
Wednesday averaged 2,278.6 tickets a day
Wednesday had the most tickets per day in September 2026, an average of 2,278.6, according to the New York State DMV. Tuesday averaged 2,190.2 a day, and Sunday averaged 879.8, DMV data show.
Tickets by day of week, September 2026
| Day | Times in September | Tickets | Average per day |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | 4 | 6,503 | 1,625.8 |
| Tuesday | 5 | 10,951 | 2,190.2 |
| Wednesday | 5 | 11,393 | 2,278.6 |
| Thursday | 4 | 8,643 | 2,160.8 |
| Friday | 4 | 7,810 | 1,952.5 |
| Saturday | 4 | 5,123 | 1,280.8 |
| Sunday | 4 | 3,519 | 879.8 |
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 2026-11-08, retrieved by Long Island Traffic on 2026-11-08.
- 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.