Senate Bill S555

                            
                    S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
________________________________________________________________________

                                   555

                       2009-2010 Regular Sessions

                            I N  S E N A T E

                               (PREFILED)

                             January 7, 2009
                               ___________

Introduced  by  Sen.  ADAMS  -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
  printed to be committed to the Committee on Transportation

AN ACT to amend the vehicle and traffic law, in relation  to  increasing
  penalties and requiring imprisonment for leaving the scene of an acci-
  dent

  THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

  Section 1. Subdivision 1 of section 600 of  the  vehicle  and  traffic
law, as amended by chapter 49 of the laws of 2005, is amended to read as
follows:
  1. Property damage. a. Any person operating a motor vehicle who, know-
ing  or  having  cause  to  know that damage has been caused to the real
property or to the personal property, not including animals, of another,
due to an incident involving the motor vehicle operated by  such  person
shall, before leaving the place where the damage occurred, stop, exhibit
his  or  her license and insurance identification card for such vehicle,
when such card is required pursuant to articles six and  eight  of  this
chapter,  and  give  his  or  her  name, residence, including street and
number,  insurance  carrier  and  insurance  identification  information
including  but  not  limited  to  the number and effective dates of said
individual's insurance policy, and license number to the party  sustain-
ing the damage, or in case the person sustaining the damage is not pres-
ent  at  the place where the damage occurred then he or she shall report
the same as soon as physically able to the nearest  police  station,  or
judicial officer.
  b.  It shall be the duty of any member of a law enforcement agency who
is at the scene of the accident to request the said operator  or  opera-
tors  of  the  motor  vehicles,  when physically capable of doing so, to
exchange the information required hereinabove and such member of  a  law

 EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                      [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                           LBD04279-01-9
              

S. 555                              2

enforcement  agency  shall  assist  such operator or operators in making
such exchange of information in a reasonable and harmonious manner.
  A violation of the provisions of paragraph a of this subdivision shall
constitute  a  [traffic  infraction] CLASS A MISDEMEANOR punishable by a
fine of [up to two hundred fifty dollars or a sentence  of  imprisonment
for up to fifteen days or both such fine and imprisonment] NOT LESS THAN
FIVE  HUNDRED  DOLLARS NOR MORE THAN ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS AND A SENTENCE
OF IMPRISONMENT OF NOT LESS THAN ONE YEAR PURSUANT TO SUBDIVISION  THREE
OF  SECTION  70.00  OF THE PENAL LAW, IN ADDITION TO ANY OTHER PENALTIES
PROVIDED BY LAW.
  S 2.   This act shall take  effect  on  the  first  of  November  next
succeeding the date on which it shall have become a law.