Senate Bill S764A

                                
 
BILL NUMBER: S764

SPONSOR: GOUNARDES
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the vehicle and traffic law, in relation to providing
certain mandatory license revocation for certain traffic infractions by
drivers; and to repeal certain provisions of such law relating thereto

 
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:

The bill will revoke the driving privileges of those who repeatedly
exhibit hazardous driving behavior and will keep New York streets safer
from dangerous drivers.

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section one of the bill amends Section 510 of the Vehicle and Traffic
Law by adding a new subparagraph (xiv) that requires the revocation of a
person's driving privileges if such person is found to have committed or
violated any combination of three of the below dangerous driving
              

offenses within a 12 month period. The driving privileges must be
entirely revoked for at least one year and the offenses are:  disobeying
a traffic control device, speeding more than 10mph over the speed limit,
participating in a race or unauthorized speed contest, overtaking a
school bus, reckless driving, failure to yield to a pedestrian and oper-
ating a motor vehicle while using a cell phone or portable electronic
device.

Section two of the bill provides that this act shall take effect on the
first of November next succeeding the date on which it shall have become
a law.

 
EXISTING LAW:

Currently the addressed offenses have financial penalties and some also
have imprisonment sentences associated with the punishment for the
offenses. The Department of Motor Vehicles also has internally set regu-
lations that deal with the suspension and revocation of driving privi-
leges. Currently though, there is not a legislative standard for driv-
er's license revocation for repeat violators of vehicle and traffic laws
designed to keep New Yorkers safe.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

On January 14th, 2019 there were 17 car crashes within the confines of
the 68th precinct of the New York Police Department (NYPD) according to
reporting by the Brooklyn Reporter on January 16th, 2019. The confines
of the 68th Precinct, one of just 77 police precincts in New York City,
which includes Bay Ridge and Dyker Heights, experienced 3,312 traffic
accidents from June 2017-June 2018. The number of accidents is 400 more
than the average number of collisions in.the five boroughs' other
precincts according to reporting by NY1 on January 17th, 2019.

Furthermore, the published statistics on moving violation trends and the
number of fines issued per moving violation in each precinct by the New
York City Police Department highlights the urgency of this legislation.
From January 1 until the end of February of 2019, the entire New York
City Police Department issued 41,225 fines for disobeying traffic
control devices, 27,298 fines for speeding, 12,756 fines for red light
infractions, 10,594 fines for seat belt violations and 10,502 fines for
failure to yield the right of way to pedestrians. Similarly, from Janu-
ary 1 until the end of February of 2019, Patrol Borough Brooklyn South
issued 4,816 fines for disobeying traffic control devices, 2,424 fines
for red light infractions, 1,943 fines for seat belt violations, 1,737
fines for failure to yield the right of way to pedestrians and 1,713
fines for speeding.

The prevalence of hazardous driving in New York City is unacceptable and
the legislature must do more to keep dangerous, repeat offenders of
moving violations off of the road and away from the steering wheel.

The families and the children of New York should not have to be fearful
of walking to school. School bus drivers should not have to be fearful
of dropping off children. Pedestrians should not have to be fearful of
walking around in their neighborhoods. And, without legislative action
to further deter these dangerous drivers - families will continue to
suffer.

Holding dangerous drivers accountable by revoking the licenses of repeat
offenders of moving violations that endanger the lives of those in our
communities is a necessary and overdue action.

 
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

2020:S5203A - Referred to Transportation

2019: S5203A - Referred to Transportation

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

None

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
The act shall take effect on the first of November next succeeding the
date on which it shall have become a law