Assembly Bill A9268

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   9268
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                             November 21, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by M. of A. STECK -- read once and referred to the Committee
   on Transportation
 
 AN ACT to amend the vehicle and traffic law, in  relation  to  requiring
   instruction on work zone safety awareness as part of the pre-licensing
   course
 
   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. Paragraph (c-2) of subdivision 4  of  section  502  of  the
 vehicle and traffic law, as added by chapter 585 of the laws of 2002, is
 amended to read as follows:
   (c-2)  "Work  Zone  Safety"  awareness component. (i) The commissioner
 shall provide in the pre-licensing course, set forth in paragraph (b) of
 this subdivision, a mandatory component in "Work Zone Safety"  awareness
 education,  TOTALING  NO LESS THAN THIRTY MINUTES, as a prerequisite for
 obtaining a license to operate a motor vehicle.
   (II) The purpose of the component is to educate prospective  licensees
 on:
   (A) the potential dangers to construction workers, construction equip-
 ment  operators  and  operators  of  motor  vehicles  in  a highway work
 zone[.];
   (B) THE LEGAL OBLIGATION TO  YIELD  THE  RIGHT  OF  WAY  AND  EXERCISE
 REASONABLE  CARE  IN THE APPROACH OF AN AUTHORIZED EMERGENCY VEHICLE, AS
 SET FORTH IN SECTION ELEVEN HUNDRED FORTY-FOUR OF THIS CHAPTER;
   (C) THE LEGAL OBLIGATION TO EXERCISE DUE CARE TO AVOID COLLIDING  WITH
 A PARKED, STOPPED OR STANDING AUTHORIZED EMERGENCY VEHICLE, HAZARD VEHI-
 CLE,  VEHICLE  DISPLAYING  A  BLUE OR GREEN LIGHT OR CERTAIN OTHER MOTOR
 VEHICLES, AS SET FORTH IN SECTION ELEVEN HUNDRED  FORTY-FOUR-A  OF  THIS
 CHAPTER; AND
   (D)  THE CONSEQUENCES OF VIOLATIONS, INCLUDING THOSE CAPTURED BY AUTO-
 MATED WORK ZONE SPEED ENFORCEMENT SYSTEMS.
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD14081-01-5
 A. 9268                             2
              

 
   (III) For the purposes of this paragraph, the term "work  zone"  shall
 include  "work area" as defined by section one hundred [sixty] SIXTY-ONE
 of this chapter, and  "restricted  highway"  as  authorized  in  section
 sixteen hundred twenty-five of this chapter.
   [(ii)]  (IV)  The  commissioner  shall  establish a curriculum for the
 "Work Zone Safety" component which shall include but not be limited to:
   (A) instruction [describing the potential hazards of driving through a
 work  zone,  whether  or  not  work,  maintenance   or   other   related
 construction  is  being  undertaken  therein,  and  information  on  the
 provisions of law relating to driving within a work zone  and  sanctions
 for violations of such provisions, including speeding in a work zone] ON
 THE  IDENTIFICATION  AND  NAVIGATION OF HIGHWAY CONSTRUCTION AND MAINTE-
 NANCE ZONES;
   (B) EDUCATION TOPICS, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, SIGNAGE, FLAGGING
 OPERATIONS, BARRIERS, LANE SHIFTS, AND VARIABLE SPEED LIMITS;
   (C) EDUCATION ON THE  LEGAL OBLIGATION TO YIELD THE RIGHT OF  WAY  AND
 EXERCISE  REASONABLE  CARE  IN  THE  APPROACH OF AN AUTHORIZED EMERGENCY
 VEHICLE, AS SET FORTH IN SECTION ELEVEN HUNDRED FORTY-FOUR OF THIS CHAP-
 TER, AND PENALTIES FOR NONCOMPLIANCE;
   (D) EDUCATION ON THE LEGAL OBLIGATION TO EXERCISE DUE  CARE  TO  AVOID
 COLLIDING  WITH A PARKED, STOPPED OR STANDING AUTHORIZED EMERGENCY VEHI-
 CLE, HAZARD VEHICLE, VEHICLE DISPLAYING A BLUE OR GREEN LIGHT OR CERTAIN
 OTHER  MOTOR  VEHICLES,  AS  SET  FORTH  IN   SECTION   ELEVEN   HUNDRED
 FORTY-FOUR-A OF THIS CHAPTER, AND PENALTIES FOR NONCOMPLIANCE;
   (E)  STATISTICS  AND REAL-LIFE CONSEQUENCES OF UNSAFE DRIVING BEHAVIOR
 IN WORK ZONES;
   (F) STRATEGIES FOR SAFE DRIVING BEHAVIOR IN THE PRESENCE OF WORK  ZONE
 EQUIPMENT AND PERSONNEL; AND
   (G)  INFORMATION  ON  THE  PHOTO SPEED VIOLATION MONITORING SYSTEMS IN
 HIGHWAY CONSTRUCTION OR MAINTENANCE WORK AREAS AND ASSOCIATED PENALTIES,
 AS SET FORTH BY SECTION ELEVEN HUNDRED EIGHTY-E OF THIS CHAPTER.
   [(iii)] (V) In developing  such  curriculum,  the  commissioner  shall
 consult  with  the commissioner of transportation, the superintendent of
 the state police, representatives of the highway construction  industry,
 representatives  of  highway  construction workers, highway safety offi-
 cials, ROAD SAFETY EXPERTS, and any other group  that  the  commissioner
 [believes  can  contribute to] DEEMS NECESSARY TO ENSURE a comprehensive
 AND CURRENT presentation of the issue.
   (VI) SUCH CURRICULUM SHALL BE ADAPTABLE TO BOTH IN-PERSON  AND  ONLINE
 FORMATS  AND  INCLUDE  A  CERTIFICATION  OF  COMPLETION  AND TRACKING OF
 STUDENT PERFORMANCE.
   (VII) THE COMMISSIONER SHALL ENSURE A PORTION OF  THE  EXAMINATION  ON
 TRAFFIC  LAWS  CONTAINS  AT  LEAST ONE QUESTION RELATING TO THE DRIVER'S
 ABILITY TO UNDERSTAND HOW TO DRIVE SAFELY IN A WORK ZONE.
   (VIII) THE COMMISSIONER SHALL ENSURE THAT COMPLETION OF THE "WORK ZONE
 SAFETY" COMPONENT IS DOCUMENTED AND RETAINED AS PART OF THE  APPLICANT'S
 LICENSING RECORD.
   §  2.  This  act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall
 have become a law. Effective immediately, the addition, amendment and/or
 repeal of any rule or regulation necessary  for  the  implementation  of
 this  act  on its effective date are authorized to be made and completed
 on or before such effective date.