undivided and divided rural non-freeway routes. Though rarely seen, some divided roadways are set as low as 45 mph but mainly stay at the state speed limit of 55 mph; in one exceptional case, that of the Scajaquada Expressway, the speed limit was lowered to 30 mph in 2016 after a fatality. The top speed limit in most residential/urban and business district areas is at 30 mph, and state law prohibits speed limits below 25 mph on most common residential areas, though a speed limit of 25 is mainly only used in the New York City area and rarely seen outside of said area. However, School speed limits may be set as high as 30 mph to as low as 20 mph. New York City has established a number of 20 mph "Neighborhood Slow Zones" in residential neighborhoods. In residential neighborhood areas outside of New York City range between 30 and 40 mph and 35–45 mph on suburban/urban arterial routes. New York's Criminal Procedure Law prevents law enforcement personnel from issuing a ticket for any offense that they did not witness personally, meaning that, among other ramifications, the state's electronic toll collection system can not be used for speed enforcement. History Many expressways and parkways in the New York City suburbs were posted as high as 65 mph in the early 1970s. During the 1973 Oil Embargo, New York lowered its speed limit to 50. The National Maximum Speed Law brought statewide speed limits up to 55. The city of New York, being a city, retained the 50 mph speed limit. New York restored its 65 mph speed limit in late 1995, soon before the NMSL was repealed. Until September 2003, the state legislature needed to approve individual 65 mph zones, a lengthy process taking months or years of politically motivated debate. Then-Governor George Pataki signed legislation in September 2003 that enables NYSDOT and New York State Thruway Authority to raise speed limits to 65 mph on its roads that meet established design and safety standards. This legislation became active in March 2004, and the speed limit was subsequently raised to 65 mph on NY Route 7 (locally known as "Alternate Route 7"), Interstate 684 and Interstate 84 east of the Hudson River in New York. North Carolina Unless otherwise posted, the speed limit in North Carolina is: in rural areas within city limits The highest maximum speed limit allowed