S T A T E O F N E W Y O R K
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4774
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
I N S E N A T E
February 12, 2025
___________
Introduced by Sen. C. RYAN -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
printed to be committed to the Committee on Codes
AN ACT to amend the penal law, in relation to including within the
offense of vehicular assault in the second degree, the causing of
serious injury while knowingly operating a motor vehicle with a
revoked or suspended license or while not holding a license and estab-
lishing the offense of vehicular homicide
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
Section 1. Section 120.03 of the penal law, as amended by chapter 732
of the laws of 2006, is amended to read as follows:
§ 120.03 Vehicular assault in the second degree.
A person is guilty of vehicular assault in the second degree when [he
or she] SUCH PERSON causes:
1. serious physical injury to another person, and either:
[(1)] (A) operates a motor vehicle in violation of subdivision two,
three, four or four-a of section eleven hundred ninety-two of the vehi-
cle and traffic law or operates a vessel or public vessel in violation
of paragraph (b), (c), (d) or (e) of subdivision two of section forty-
nine-a of the navigation law, and as a result of such intoxication or
impairment by the use of a drug, or by the combined influence of drugs
or of alcohol and any drug or drugs, operates such motor vehicle, vessel
or public vessel in a manner that causes such serious physical injury to
such other person, or
[(2)](B) operates a motor vehicle with a gross vehicle weight rating
of more than eighteen thousand pounds which contains flammable gas,
radioactive materials or explosives in violation of subdivision one of
section eleven hundred ninety-two of the vehicle and traffic law, and
such flammable gas, radioactive materials or explosives is the cause of
such serious physical injury, and as a result of such impairment by the
EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD07445-01-5
S. 4774 2
use of alcohol, operates such motor vehicle in a manner that causes such
serious physical injury to such other person, or
[(3)] (C) operates a snowmobile in violation of paragraph (b), (c) or
(d) of subdivision one of section 25.24 of the parks, recreation and
historic preservation law or operates an all terrain vehicle as defined
in paragraph (a) of subdivision one of section twenty-two hundred eight-
y-one of the vehicle and traffic law and in violation of subdivision
two, three, four, or four-a of section eleven hundred ninety-two of the
vehicle and traffic law, and as a result of such intoxication or impair-
ment by the use of a drug, or by the combined influence of drugs or of
alcohol and any drug or drugs, operates such snowmobile or all terrain
vehicle in a manner that causes such serious physical injury to such
other person.
If it is established that the person operating such motor vehicle,
vessel, public vessel, snowmobile or all terrain vehicle caused such
serious physical injury while unlawfully intoxicated or impaired by the
use of alcohol or a drug, then there shall be a rebuttable presumption
that, as a result of such intoxication or impairment by the use of alco-
hol or a drug, or by the combined influence of drugs or of alcohol and
any drug or drugs, such person operated the motor vehicle, vessel,
public vessel, snowmobile or all terrain vehicle in a manner that caused
such serious physical injury, as required by this [section.] SUBDIVI-
SION; OR
2. SERIOUS PHYSICAL INJURY TO ANOTHER PERSON, WHILE OPERATING A MOTOR
VEHICLE, KNOWING OR HAVING REASON TO KNOW THAT SUCH PERSON'S LICENSE TO
OR PRIVILEGE TO OPERATE A MOTOR VEHICLE IS SUSPENDED OR REVOKED PURSUANT
TO SUBDIVISION TWO OR TWO-A OF SECTION FIVE HUNDRED TEN OR SUBDIVISION
ONE OR THREE OF SECTION FIVE HUNDRED TEN-A OF THE VEHICLE AND TRAFFIC
LAW FOR CONDUCT RELATING TO THE OPERATION OF A MOTOR VEHICLE, OR KNOWING
OR HAVING REASON TO KNOW THAT SUCH PERSON IS NOT LICENSED TO OPERATE A
MOTOR VEHICLE ON A PUBLIC HIGHWAY PURSUANT TO THE VEHICLE AND TRAFFIC
LAW.
Vehicular assault in the second degree is a class E felony.
§ 2. The opening paragraph of section 120.04 of the penal law, as
amended by chapter 496 of the laws of 2009, is amended to read as
follows:
A person is guilty of vehicular assault in the first degree when [he
or she] SUCH PERSON commits the crime of vehicular assault in the second
degree as defined in SUBDIVISION ONE OF section 120.03 of this article,
and either:
§ 3. The penal law is amended by adding a new section 125.13-a to read
as follows:
§ 125.13-A VEHICULAR HOMICIDE.
A PERSON IS GUILTY OF VEHICULAR HOMICIDE WHEN SUCH PERSON CAUSES THE
DEATH OF ANOTHER PERSON, WHILE OPERATING A MOTOR VEHICLE, KNOWING OR
HAVING REASON TO KNOW THAT SUCH PERSON'S LICENSE TO OR PRIVILEGE TO
OPERATE A MOTOR VEHICLE IS SUSPENDED OR REVOKED PURSUANT TO SUBDIVISION
TWO OR TWO-A OF SECTION FIVE HUNDRED TEN OR SUBDIVISION ONE OR THREE OF
SECTION FIVE HUNDRED TEN-A OF THE VEHICLE AND TRAFFIC LAW FOR CONDUCT
RELATING TO THE OPERATION OF A MOTOR VEHICLE, OR KNOWING OR HAVING
REASON TO KNOW THAT SUCH PERSON IS NOT LICENSED TO OPERATE A MOTOR VEHI-
CLE ON A PUBLIC HIGHWAY PURSUANT TO THE VEHICLE AND TRAFFIC LAW.
VEHICULAR HOMICIDE IS A CLASS D FELONY.
§ 4. This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after
it shall have become a law.